The Cover of Baroque Works
by Sketcher1994
Summary: It wasn't the first time someone had come looking for him, but this woman didn't seem like the others. She'd clearly seen things that many would never see in thousands of lifetimes. Her smile was part of a poker face, a mask. He could tell from one glance that her eyes didn't even reflect the truth, just the coldness of someone who's known death. Someone familiar with killing.
1. Chapter 1 - Miss All-Sunday

**AN: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!**

 **Hey! New story for you today! This was a request from megaME for Zoro joining Baroque Works instead of the Strawhats ^_^ Hope you enjoy this first chapter!**

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 **Chapter One – Miss All-Sunday**

"Can I help you?"

"Well, Roronoa-san, you are the only one who can answer that."

"'Roronoa-san'? You know who I am then. What do you want with me, Woman?" Zoro grunted, lowering his pint to the bar top as he glanced over his shoulder at the unusually tall woman.

"You are Pirate Hunter Zoro, are you not?" She smiled, a cold, knowing glint in her icy blue eyes.

It wasn't the first time someone had come looking for him, but the first time it had been a woman. This woman didn't seem like the others though: she'd clearly seen things that many would never see in thousands of lifetimes. Her smile was part of a poker face, a mask. He could tell from one glance at the older woman that her eyes didn't even reflect the truth, just the coldness of someone who's known death.

Someone familiar with killing.

"I didn't give myself that title." He replied, turning back to his pint but never letting his attention drop from her.

He didn't trust her.

"It does seem very fitting if the rumours are true." She returned, walking towards him, her hips swinging in their ridiculously short purple skirt, the white fringe brushing against the top of her soft-looking pale thighs.

"I take bounties to pay for food and drink, not some form of self justice." He replied into his pint, aware of her taking the bar stool next to him.

"Not a place to stay the night?" She laughed, causing him to look at her again, watching her warily having never heard such a forced laugh.

"I don't need somewhere to stay." He grunted back, finishing his pint. "What do you want?"

"Well, perhaps I just wished to look upon the great Pirate Hunter Zoro of East Blue?" She smiled coyly, leaning towards him slightly.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at her as he refused to glance down as her large chest struggled against the restraint of her purple waistcoat, the white shoelace strings that held it closed pulled taunt. Was she attempting to seduce him? Like hell that was going to work. He wasn't interested in some woman in her twenties here to make him into her pet. He was going to find Mihawk and become the World's Greatest Swordsman. He didn't have time to mess around with some woman, and he certainly couldn't become some shitty pet!

"I asked what you wanted – don't answer me with a question." He growled, his left hand reaching for Wado Ichimonji.

"I only wish to talk, Roronoa-san." She smiled, sitting back again, clearly realising that wasn't going to work on him. "I wish to invite you to join us."

"Baroque Works again, huh? I figured you'd get the hint after what I did to your last messenger." He grinned, tightening his grip on Wado. "What makes your boss think I won't do the same to you?"

"Oh, Roronoa-san, I'd be very impressed if you managed to, however Mr 0 is very determined to have you join us." She replied, waving a hand airily to the bartender to gain his attention. "Could you possibly get this young gentleman another drink, and I would like a glass of white."

Well, she clearly realised the bar only had the one type of white wine then, or red for that matter. Had she checked the board? He hadn't seen her check it? He'd been watching her since she'd entered the bar, and she'd been watching him. She'd just come straight up to him. Who was this woman? She was clearly higher up the food chain than the last guy, but just how high up was she? She'd come here knowing full well who he was and she still doubted he'd manage to slice her? She wasn't worried about getting that pretty skin of hers covered in cuts?

"I told the last guy that came to me that I'd only join if you made me the boss." He smirked, accepting the offered pint from the bartender. "So what's the plan? Get me drunk and drag me off? You don't look like you'd get me very far."

"You would be surprised by how far I could get you, Roronoa-san." She replied teasingly, making him wince slightly. "However, someone as strong and skilled as yourself should be able to make his way towards the top fairly quickly."

"I'm not interested, Woman." He growled, taking a gulp of his pint – the faster he finished it, the quicker he could get away from her.

"You are only interested in defeating Dracule Mihawk." She stated simply, elegantly sipping her wine.

Zoro's head snapped around to look at her, his eyes going wide with surprise. How had she known? Just who was this woman? How had she known about his goal? She must have actually done some research before coming to him. What else did she know? Did she know about Kuina? No. That wasn't possible. No-one knew about her, not out here anyway. It wasn't as if it would be all that surprising for him to be interested in defeating Hawk-Eyes Mihawk.

"How's that information going to help you?" He grunted, turning back to his pint, his eyes narrowed once more as he stared into the cool depths of the wooden tankard.

"If you manage to prove yourself useful and work your way to the higher ranks of our organisation, then Mr 0 will organise for you to duel Dracule Mihawk." She smiled challengingly at him from below her purple cowboy hat, hiding her eyes from him.

"Your boss must have some interesting connections to be able to make a promise like that." He stated, not rising to her.

"You'd be surprised, Roronoa-san." She laughed quietly, taking another sip of her wine as she turned away from him, crossing her long pale legs towards him.

"What am I supposed to call you anyway?" He grunted, ignoring the slight warmth to his ears as he took a sip of his own drink.

"I am Miss All-Sunday, Roronoa-san."

* * *

"Roronoa-san, I did not expect to have to come find you again so soon."

"What you talking about, Woman?"

"I believe I only seen you just under a year ago? Mr 0 isn't too happy that you've lost another partner – what happened to this one?" She asked, a sickly sweet smile across her deceitful lips.

"She fell in the water – not my fault she was a Devil Fruit eater." He grunted, maintaining his seated position as he leant back against the tree, his eyes closed.

"And you did not think to help her? That must have been a very interesting death for her, slowly drowning as all the energy was sapped out of her body by the slowly darkening water as she sunk. I would imagine it was slow and particularly painful." She replied, Zoro clearly able to picture her thoughtful expression as he continued to sit with his eyes closed.

"The same would happen to you if you fell in, right?" He smirked, sure he'd caught her by surprise. "You're a Devil Fruit eater. It's been bothering me since we met a year ago, but it's the only conclusion I can come up with."

"Very good, Roronoa-san." She chimed like a teacher praising her student, Zoro picturing a happy smile across her lips. "Do you know what Devil Fruit I ate?"

"I'm working on it." He grinned, opening his eyes to look up at her.

"Do you want me to show you?" She replied playfully, taking a few steps towards him, the white fringe of her ever-present purple skirt brushing against her pale thighs as always, not that he'd met her more than once.

"Where's the fun in that?" He replied, grinning at her challenge.

"Then perhaps you would like to explain why you're five miles from where you are supposed to be?" She laughed annoyingly.

"The map was wrong." He grunted, ignoring the heat in his ears.

"That was the same map that your partner directed you using, correct?" She asked, and he knew she was already aware of the answer.

"Yes." He growled, glaring up at her. "What do you want this time anyway, Woman?"

"You have already lost four partners – we're going to run out of woman willing to work with you if you continue like this." She replied, a strange smile across her lips.

"And? I don't need any damn woman yapping in my ear all the time." He grunted, closing his eyes again – she was just here to lecture him.

She'd actually proved to be quite interesting a year earlier. He'd even seen that strange smile once, just as she was leaving the pub, telling him that they'd be in touch. He wasn't sure what it meant, but maybe she was about to disappear in a puff of smoke? She was a Devil Fruit eater, so anything was possible. They hadn't actually talked much, other than the teasing she'd given him after she'd told him her name. The connotations of 'Miss All-Sunday' had been enough to make him actually choke on his beer. He'd never gotten to the specific date of his past partners, so he had no idea if there was anything to their names, but he wasn't sure he even wanted to find out.

"Mr 0 has decided you are definitely proving to be a very valuable asset, as pre-"

"Then let me fight Mihawk."

"-as predicted. He has decided that he needs someone with a little more intelligence to keep an eye on you until we can find you a partner that is more...more 'compatible' with you." She replied, a mildly annoyed look in her chilly blue eyes that contradicted her smile. "He has asked me to watch you."

"You?! I don't want to be stuck with you, Damn Woman! I'm fine on my own." He argued, determined he wouldn't put up with being thrown together with _this_ woman.

He'd had four different women shoved on him so far, and the only thing they'd been good at was irritating the hell out of him, spending all their money and getting in the way. He'd felt a little guilty at not jumping in after the last one, but if she was useless enough to get that close to the water fighting _one_ person when he was busy fighting the other thirty-odd, then she had no business being with Baroque Works as far as he was concerned. He'd accidently sliced the first while they'd been training, and she'd ended up bleeding to death in her sleep in the hotel after yelling at him that she was fine and storming off on her little temper tantrum. The second had lost to her opponent in a room on the opposite side of the building from him, and the third had been shot by a pirate...which was how he ended up in a fight with said pirates...winning against them had actually gained him a decent promotion.

"Roronoa-san, you may be Mr 12, but you definitely still need a partner – without one, you would never complete a mission." She returned, her annoyance slightly more obvious.

He'd make her do something other than smile.

"And what makes you say that? I've completed every mission so far, even after losing my partners." He replied, a cocky smirk set to annoy her further – she shouldn't doubt him.

"How could you complete a mission if you get lost on your way there, as you have now?" She smirked back, knowing she'd caught him as his cheeks warmed slightly.

"Damn Woman." He grunted, glaring up at her as he turned his face away from her.

"Miss All-Sunday." She corrected with a cute laugh.

* * *

"So, how we gonna do this?" He sighed, looking at the double bed in front of him.

"Is there more than one way?" She smiled, a teasing tone to her voice.

He was not in the mood.

"I'd have thought you'd have at least gotten a twin room, Woman." He grunted, moving over to the window to stare out at the pouring rain rather than at the irritating woman that had brought him to this stupid tropical island.

"We'll only have to stay one night, Mr 12." She replied, the smile still annoyingly clear in her voice.

"And I don't know shit about you, and you expect me to share a bed with you? After I didn't even want to share a _room_ with you? You haven't done anything useful on the past missions, so why are you even here?!" He exclaimed, fed up of her constant teasing, her constant silence, her constant never doing _anything_ to help him.

"What do you wish to know, Mr 12? I am Miss All-Sunday of Baroque Works, and I have been your temporary partner for the last six months. I am solely here to direct you on your way to your missions since you are so adamant that you do not need a partner. I am the Vice President of the organisation, and the partner of Mr 0, but I find myself leading a directionless man around because he can't keep a partner alive." She explained, her voice completely neutral. "The only reason I was chosen to keep an eye on you was because I can keep myself alive."

"We're finally getting somewhere." He smiled, dropping down onto the chair next to the window.

"Mr 12?"

Zoro's smile grew even wider as the mild look of confusion past through her cool blue eyes.

"That's the most you've ever said to me at one time." He grinned up at her, watching as a small smile appeared on her lips, the most genuine smile he'd ever seen on her strangely beautiful face.

"And that made you happy, Mr 12?" She replied, taking a few steps past the end of the bed towards him.

"Very. I may not appreciate anyone yapping in my ear all day, but not knowing anything about you has been irritating me for a year and a half now." He answered, his face becoming serious as he watched her. "I didn't know you were as high up as Vice President, I guess I should be honoured – were you that high up when you came to invite me to join?"

"I was." She replied, stopping directly in front of him, holding his gaze.

"The Vice President of Baroque Works came to invite me to join the organisation, and even went through the effort of doing some research on me. I was just some random swordsman from East Blue back then." He continued, staring back up at her, awaiting an explanation.

"Back then, yes, but Mr 0 saw your potential." She stated, her fake smile back, her death-stained eyes as impossible to read as always.

"Are you ever going to tell me who you really are?" He asked, searching her mask for the smallest crack.

"I've already told you many times before, Mr 12." She replied, a sad smile gracing her lips.

"Same answer as always?" He sighed, her sad smile signalling to him that she'd said as much as she would.

"Miss All-Sunday."

* * *

 **Well, how was it? Obviously this is just the first chapter, and Robin is still being mysterious, but is she being completely truthful?**


	2. Chapter 2 - Nico Robin

**AN: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!**

 **I am disappointed with myself. Very disappointed. This will make sense by the end of this chapter.**

 **This is late, I know! Sorry! Emailing someone at the moment, and I'm waiting on something...Hope you enjoy this anyway!**

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 **Chapter Two – Nico Robin**

"Enbima Yonezu Oni Giri!"

Zoro slid through the group, slicing through their bodies as he moved, carefully watching his partner fight on the other side of the clearing. It was the first time she'd ever fought in front of him, and her elegance was astounding. Her ability matched her perfectly. Why had she hidden it from him for so long? He still knew nothing about her, but watching her fight was one of the most interesting things he'd ever seen, and he'd seen a lot of things since arriving on the Grandline over a year ago.

He blocked as another pirate tried to attack him, grinning at the fool who'd dare challenge him directly. He'd just taken down the idiot's friends and the idiot thought he had a chance? It would only take one attack to bring this fool down, even if he was stronger than the others. They still had the damn Captain to find. The moron had ran the second he'd realised who they were and left his crew to fend them off, and of course, the Captain was the only one with a damn bounty. If he didn't get the bounty for Miss All-Sunday to send off to Mr 0, he'd be set back again for his face off with Mihawk. He'd get the bounty. He'd get closer to the World's Greatest Swordsman, and if Mr 0 didn't keep his promise, well he'd just have to slice him up instead.

He'd find Mihawk on his own if he had to.

"Ushi Bari!" He yelled, charging the remaining idiot, just as four long slender pale arms blossomed on his body, snapping him in half and rolling him out of the way of Zoro's charge before he could trip over the body. "I had that one, Woman!"

"Fufufu, Mr 12, we should direct out attention onto finding and obtaining the Captain." She smiled as Zoro watched the phantom arms burst into sakura petals and disappear.

"Fine," he grunted, glaring at her, "but we're talking about this later."

"As you wish, Mr 12." She replied, her blue eyes holding a mischievous glint.

"So, are we going to have that talk now?" He sighed, falling onto the end of the bed.

She'd happily restrained the Captain and held him while Zoro had tied him up. Then of course, she'd led him to the Marine office and did her usual disappearing act as he went inside to collect the bounty. He'd eventually found his way out some time later with a large bag of coins, having counted it several times before trying to find his way out. He was sure they'd moved everything around while he'd been in the office just to confuse him.

"If you wish." She smiled, sitting down on the bed with her book open already.

She'd barely said anything when she'd met him at the market place. She'd just taken the bag, counted out their share, and led him to the hotel. They'd headed straight up to the room in silence, and he'd taken a nap while she'd gone for her shower. She hadn't even said anything when she'd woken him to send him for his shower. He'd have argued that he didn't need a shower, but he was pretty sure he'd gotten some strange looks after he'd handed over the pirate Captain – that _usually_ meant he had some blood on him somewhere.

It turned out it had been on his shirt.

He'd had to wash it before he'd gone for his shower so that he could hang it up to dry in the warm climate of the summer island while he was showering. He'd actually enjoyed the shower. He hadn't even realised how tense he'd been until the hot water had hit him. He'd gotten out pretty quick when he'd heard her giggle though. He still didn't trust her completely, especially when she was giggling. If she was giggling, it was probably at him. He was in the shower. Of course, now he even knew what her ability was. She could grow arms wherever she wanted. What if she could grow more than just arms? What if she was watching him? Hell, what if she was watching him and laughing at him? What the hell was so funny about him right now?! He was in the damn shower! ...He was in the shower...that thought had been enough for him to grab his towel and trousers.

He'd pulled his trousers on and marched out of the room, expecting her to still be laughing at him. She hadn't been. She'd apparently been shopping at some point that day though. There was a mint green man's shirt on the bed. He sighed, watching her smiling, clearly pleased with herself as she sat with her book. She'd bought him a shirt to match his hair. Very original. Well, he did need something until his dried and he didn't exactly carry spares around with him. He'd gotten pretty good at wringing his trousers out after washing them, but his t-shirt would just become unrecognisable if he tried that with it. He'd begrudgingly thanked her and pulled it on before offering her his arm to lead her down to dinner, or rather for her to lead him – they never moved things around to confuse her. As long as they were being mistaken for a couple though, it was fine.

So, now here they were, her sitting with her book and him lying across the bottom of the bed. Perfectly normal for them, but the silence was clearly more forced than usual – it was normally a comfortable, mutual silence, not 'one wrong word and you _will_ regret it' silence. This wasn't them. They weren't close, but they were used to each other's company after this long. How long had 'this long' actually been? He'd be damned if he knew. It didn't exactly matter – they were stuck with each other. Although, neither had minded lately, as secretive as she still was about herself. She knew his name, why couldn't he know hers?! All he ever got from her was 'Miss All-Sunday'. Fine, she was 'Miss All-Sunday', but as far as he was concerned, she was 'Damn Woman', because _that_ was what she was.

"So you can make arms appear wherever you want. Anything else?" He asked, deciding to start with basics.

"Any body part I wish, Mr 12." She replied, not looking away from her book.

She'd been like this the whole way through dinner. She'd kept using as few damn words as possible. Why was she being so damn secretive about her ability? He'd seen it now, and it suited her perfectly as far as he was concerned. He'd assumed she hadn't told him before because it had been part of their little conversations, him trying to guess what her ability was. He'd come up with some reasonable ones before offering a suggestion obviously, and some of which had actually impressed her. He'd never have guessed her actual ability in a million years though.

"Back to short, emotionless answers covered by a smiling mask." He grunted, closing his eyes – he didn't need them to talk to her, he could see every fake emotion behind his closed eyelids.

Even her two genuine ones.

"What did you expect, Mr 12? I am the Vice President of the organisation, so what makes you think I'd share any of my personal details with you?" She inquired, her nose likely still in her book.

"We've been together for over a year, right? You know my real name, so wouldn't it be fair for me to know yours? And why are you still being so secretive about your ability? I've seen it now, and I have to assume, from what I've learned of your personality, that you're not pouting because I hadn't managed to guess it before you were forced to use it in front of me." He returned, aware of her staring at him from the top of the double bed.

"I am protected by my association with Mr 0, but it would be better if as few people as possible knew who I am." She explained, Zoro feeling her weight shift on the bed.

"And who am I going to tell? Your name isn't going to mean anything to me, and I won't use it if you don't want me to." He returned, opening his eyes to find her shielded blue ones directly above his as she crouched on the bed above his head. "And I don't see how your ability is such a giveaway."

"I have had it since I was a young child. I had been on the run from the Marines for a decade and a half when I met Mr 0." She smiled sadly, pain briefly flashing through her eyes.

"I guess that explains why you won't come into the Marine bases with me." He replied, reaching up to push a strand of her shoulder length black hair back behind her ear.

"They cannot harm me while I am under Mr 0's protection, but I still avoid Marines. They destroyed my home to protect themselves from its knowledge." She explained, the pain returning to her eyes as she drifted off into her memories. "I am the only one left who can read the language that they wish to rid from the world. I plan to discover the True History, as you wish to become the World's Greatest Swordsman."

"How do you go about discovering the True History?" He asked, cupping her cheek gently to make her look at him.

"By finding and translating the Poneglyphs, which are giant stone tablets covered in ancient writing, Roronoa-san." She smiled, a determined look in her tepid blue eyes. "That is why I must follow Mr 0 – he is in a desert country at this very moment, one called Alabasta. He is sure there is one there for me to translate."

"Then that's where we'll start." He smirked, enjoying the movement of emotions through her all-knowing blue eyes.

"Roronoa-san?"

The look of surprise across her face was actually kind of cute.

"I don't know what I can do, but we're stuck with each other, right? So I'll help you find the Poneglyphs." He replied, watching her smile finally reach her eyes, warming those large pools of blue.

"And I shall help you find Dracule Mihawk." She returned, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to his forehead, causing his face to flush a brilliant crimson.

"Wh-What was that for, Damn Woman!?" He exclaimed, trying not to seem flustered as she began to laugh at him, her whole face lit with her smile as she hid it behind a delicate pale hand.

"You really are very cute when you are embarrassed, Roronoa-san." She giggled, moving back up the bed to let him sit up.

"I'm not cute." He growled, standing up from the bed to glare down at her, his face still burning.

"We need to leave early tomorrow, Mr 12 – we should get some sleep." She replied, her usual smile returned as she put her mask back in place.

"Fine." He grunted, unbuttoning his mint green shirt, dumping it on the floor, before approaching his side of the bed and climbing under the covers, watching her carefully. "Just keep to your own side of the bed."

"Goodnight, Roronoa-san." She giggled as she slipped under the covers, switching the light next to her off as she did so.

"Miss All-Sunday."

"Nico Robin."

"Morning, Mr 12."

"Good morning, Miss All-Sunday." He grunted, watching her warily.

"You seem particularly grumpy this morning, Mr 12." She smiled, sitting up from the bed.

"Where the hell have you been this time? You just disappeared nine days ago for no reason – I thought we were going to be more open with each other, _Robin_." He growled, getting up from the bed as he watched her over his shoulder.

"I took Banchi for a swim – I thought you wouldn't mind a few days without me." She replied teasingly, a coy smile on her lips.

"You're in a good mood – what happened?" He muttered, starting to pull his white shirt on. "And I'm used to you just disappearing on me, but disappearing in the middle of the night?! I thought something had happened to you, Damn Woman!" He snapped, glaring at her as he remembered the reason he was annoyed with her.

The damn woman had been gone when he'd damn well woken up after their latest mission. How was he supposed to feel about that?! Was he supposed to assume she'd been called out by Mr 0 for some reason? She'd never just left in the middle of the damn night without an explanation before! For all he knew, she could have been in trouble – she could have been damn well killed, and here she was, getting up from their damn bed as if nothing had happened! As if the last nine days hadn't happened! How the hell did she expect him to feel about that?!

"Roronoa-san, you're very sweet to have worried about me, but I could not take you away on this mission. It was a very... _personal_ mission." She giggled, causing Zoro to huff as he dropped back down onto the side of the bed. "I did meet some very interesting young pirates though."

"Well, did you get the bounty? Or was it the other kind of interesting?" He asked, curious as to who could have piqued the interest of Miss All-Sunday – she wasn't interested in just anyone: _that_ he'd definitely learned over the last two years.

"I did not get the bounty, but you may be about to get a promotion." She smiled, shifting closer to him. "But as to the pirates, I believe it will be a good idea to keep an eye on them – they may prove to continue to be very interesting indeed."

"Robin, they'd have to be seriously interesting to get you watching them, so come on, who is it?" He smirked, falling back onto his back, her head now hanging above his from where she sat leaning on one elbow.

"Monkey D. Luffy of the Strawhat Pirates and his crew." She replied, a spark lighting her blue eyes as she smiled down at him. "They are on their way to Little Garden. I do feel we should get to Alabasta before them though, Roronoa-san."

"Monkey D. Luffy, bounty of 30,000,000 beri if I'm not mistaken. He really all that interesting?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow up at her.

"Well, he's from East Blue, like you." She teased, earning a pout from him. "And he just defeated Mr 5 and Miss Valentine, along with all our agents at Whiskey Peak, rescuing the Princess of Alabasta. There are four of them on the crew at the moment."

"Seriously? Huh, I can see why you'd find them interesting." He replied absently as he tried to imagine how strong the members of the pirate crew must be considering the small size.

"I still believe you were stronger than the defeated members, but your need of a babysitter is testing on the Boss." She stated, a smirk appearing on her lips as he narrowed his eyes at her. "We should leave soon, Roronoa-san."

"Whatever you say, Robin – just lead the way." He grinned, sitting up onto his elbows.

"Fufufu, I always do." She laughed, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"Oi! Robin!"

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed that! XD Basically, I thought I'd thought I'd written more about their time together before even mentioning Luffy and the others :P That's the bit I'm disappointed with by the way *sigh***

* * *

 ** _Shadow-ying_** **, why thank you! XD I was really pleased with that bit, but I can't take credit for the story idea! This is a request I did from** ** _megaME_** **^_^ Well, as you can tell from the end of this chapter, they are going to Alabasta, but whether or not they actually meet the Strawhats there is another matter! What reason would these two have for helping them anyway? They're Baroque Works' members, but then again, that doesn't mean they don't have an agenda of their own ;P Hehe, it's always fun making them bounce off of each other** (and just to be clear, what I just said isn't sexual...I reread it and realised how it could be read, and I can't work out how to rephrase it :/ ) **Glad you're enjoying this! XD**

 ** _Otaku-SIG_** **-san, welcome! Glad you enjoyed the first chapter! ^_^**

 ** _megaME_** **-chwaaan~! Glad you enjoyed the first chapter, and hopefully you're enjoying the random little moments they're having (or not so random, really...). After this chapter, can we really still call them temporary partners? Zoro's already offering to help her with her dream since she's helping him with hers ;P The next chapter is called 'Woman', so you know ;P** (Once again, not sexual! I started trying a little thing with this about ending each section with a key phrase...I didn't want to make this story sexual, but more "cute, fluffy teasing and 'tender' moments"...? I know you needed lots of fluff! I've given so much angst...) **Hope you enjoyed this chapter! XD**

 ** _WindWitch00_** **, thank you! Hope this is still feeding your curiosity! ^_^**

 ** _R. N. Zuzu_** **, haha, yes, definitely a huge thanks to** ** _megaME_** **for the idea! XD I'll need to get some more of her requests to write up now! XD Haha, yeah, I had to try to keep them in character! XD 'Too strong'? He was already stronger than average when he was in East Blue, but he does now realise that he "wasn't quite as strong as he though", even though he won't have fought Mihawk yet, Robin will have been placing him against stronger and stronger opponents since he joined (at her request), so he'll be realising already that he'll need to be stronger to beat Mihawk, but he's still cocky – he says in this one "if Mr 0 didn't keep his promise, well he'd just have to slice him up instead." It still hasn't occurred to him just how big the difference in strength is between them, but if Zoro and Robin have been being more honest with each other, maybe he is more aware of it by the end of the chapter? ;P**

 ** _Zorin is ZoroxRobin_** **, thank you, but I can't take credit for the concept! XD That goes to** ** _megaME_** **! XD Well, you're getting to read more! XD There is eight chapters by the way! XD And I may write a little side thing once I've finished posting this, just because it could be really funny! XD**

 ** _'Guest'_** **, why thank you! XD I already have – I'm just mean and make you wait 3-8 days for chapter updates! If you were reading 'Three Years Apart', you had even longer to wait because I was on hiatus while posting it! And we'll not even talk about how long readers of 'The Life of the First Mate' has to wait! 0:)**

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 **Sorry again for how late this is** (although it is almost one/two days earlier than originally planned!) **, but I'll have next week's update dates up by some really late point on Sunday...the update may be Monday lunch if I'm awake :P This weekend is going to be really busy! :P**


	3. Chapter 3 - Woman

**AN: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece! (Has everyone seen the latest colour spread?! XD )**

 **Right, where were we? Chapter three? Think that's about right, but are Zoro and Robin still putting up a fight?! (I have no idea where that came from...Sorry...No sleep again last night...Slept Saturday night and missed Friday? That's a pattern, right? ;P ) Anyway! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three – Woman**

"You really think they'll make it past Little Garden?"

"Perhaps. If they don't, then they clearly were not the pirates I thought they were, Roronoa-san."

"Mr 0 going to be upset that you came back to Alabasta without telling him?" Zoro asked, turning to look at the tall, dark haired woman sitting next to him.

"I have notified him, explaining that I thought bringing you to headquarters may prevent him from having to take action himself if anything were to go wrong." She smiled at him from beneath the brow of her purple cowboy hat.

"And he bought it?" He grunted, amused by the stupidity of Mr 0, the supposed 'Boss'.

"Hm, we cannot be sure – we will have to be very careful, Roronoa-san." She replied, her smile changing to a smirk. "Banchi will have us there reasonably soon, Roronoa-san. We must both be prepared for our part."

"Just don't die on me, Woman."

"Fufufu."

* * *

"Are you comfortable, Mr 12?"

"I guess, but you did just interrupt my nap – I assume there's a good reason."

"The Marine Captain Smoker has appeared in Nanohana."

"And you're worried he'll get in the way of the plan?"

"Fire Fist Ace, Commander of the Second Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, has also arrived."

"This is definitely starting to look like an interesting party, Miss All-Sunday."

"Hm, and I was correct in my interest in the Strawhat Pirates."

"They've arrived too, huh? Guess I better get ready."

"Hm, be careful, Mr 12."

"Stay alive, Damn Woman."

Ca-chunk.

* * *

"Spider's Cafe, huh? Why'd the damn woman want me here?" Zoro grunted, taking a seat at a table, eyeing the blue haired woman behind the counter suspiciously.

She was sitting calmly behind the counter, her frizzy blue hair tied up in a ponytail. She was wearing a turquoise bandana with a pink, navy, white and red square pattern across it, mismatched with her green-leaf patterned, purple sleeveless top. She had her nose in some sort of book, almost like a journal. Something about the woman reminded him of the damn woman; he didn't like it. Why had he been dragged here and who was this woman? She better not be his new partner.

"'Damn woman'? We're actually closing early for a private booking, Sir, so I'm afraid you'll have to leave reasonably soon." The woman responded, apparently unaware that he hadn't actually been talking to her.

"Tough. I was told to wait here until eight, so I'm waiting here until eight. I was woken up by the damn woman so that she could get me here and get back to her partner in plenty time." Zoro growled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Banchi's being given a good run today at least."

"Baroque Works agent? That certainly was unexpected." She smiled, a false kindness to her tone. "Which number would you be?"

"I don't exactly know anymore. I was Mr 12, but apparently I'm due a promotion against Mr 0's wishes." He sighed, watching her out the corner of his eye as he made himself comfortable.

"Mr 12? I'm surprised you were even called here for this meeting." She replied, her sickly sweet smile clearly friendlier than its owner.

"My number ain't relevant to my strength or skill, so I'd keep quiet if I were you, or I'll slice those pretty little fingers of yours off, got it?!" He snapped, his left hand moving to Wado.

"That's an interesting threat, Mr 12." She smiled, her eyes surprisingly large and friendly behind the blue rims of her glasses. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Sake would be great, but any kind of alcohol will do – can't imagine you having much of anything in stock, out here in the middle of nowhere." He replied, watching her every move as she started to get his drink.

"I don't get many customers, but you're not my first one from Baroque Works." She explained, walking out from behind the counter to hand him his drink. "You'll get to meet the other remaining number agents if you bother to hang around like the 'damn woman' told you to. She wouldn't happen to be your partner, would she?"

"No. She's Mr 0's partner – Miss All-Sunday." He grunted, taking a well needed gulp of cool beer. "She just wakes me up and points me in the right direction – my partners have all had bad habits of finding themselves in deadly situations."

"Ah, I believe I have heard of you." She smiled, turning to walk back behind the counter. "You're Miss All-Sunday's pet swordsman."

"I ain't anyone's pet." He growled, brisling under the insult.

"Well, we shall have to wait patiently for the others, so since your precious Miss All-Sunday woke you up, why don't you just go back to sleep?" She cooed, placing the needle of the gramophone onto the current record, a piano's twinkling sound now playing through the cafe.

"I think I'll just do that." He grunted back, glaring at the woman before closing his eyes, quickly finding sleep.

"Well, well, well, well! Merry Chri-! Merry Chri-! Just exhausted! Back aches!" A giant mole-like woman yelled, bursting in through the cafe door, instantly waking him – how long had he been sleeping? "Dammit! And it's all your fault, Mr 4! You're so boring, you give me back pain!"

"S-o-r-" The large man following her began slowly, the mole woman apparently ignoring him.

"Well, well, well, well! Paula, how's business?! This place is completely empty today, huh? Empty place! Em-p-ty! Huh!" The mole-like woman rushed as she took a seat by the counter, addressing the blue haired woman as Zoro sat quietly in the corner, completely unnoticed by the two new arrivals.

"It's been a long time. Welcome, Miss Merry-Christmas, Mr 4." She laughed quietly. "The cafe's been reserved for you today. You'll be having an Orange Pekoe, and Mr 4, you'd like some apple tea, right?"

"I don't want it hot! I want it at a temperature I can drink right away! Now bring it quick! Give it to me! Bring to me! Give to me!" Miss Merry-Christmas ranted, her voice grating on Zoro's nerves.

"You seem to be in good health. How's work?" Paula replied calmly, pouring the tea.

"It's a screw-up-and-you're-dead sort of world. Of course we're in tip-top shape! You idiot! You idiot! You id-! Id-! Id-!" Miss Merry-Christmas raced, intending insulting the other woman who took it too calmly.

"You're quite right. I'm sorry." Paula replied, placing a hand on her hip.

Zoro sighed and turned his attention back to his pint of beer just as strange singing met his ears. He took a sip and silently cursed Robin for making him come here, just to abandon him with these freaks – what had she been thinking? It seemed to have been part of Mr 0's orders, but she seriously thought that he wouldn't slice these idiots to pieces? Of course he couldn't. That would ruin the damn plan. If it hadn't been a desert country, then he could have just hid out instead of playing along with these buffoons.

Although, according to the damn woman's latest report, someone had kindly wiped out the Billions that had been stationed at Nanohana. However, that didn't exactly help their plan considering she'd had to replace them. Maybe they'd be lucky on their way out of this damn country by someone else taking it upon themselves to wipe out the useless fools for them, but what were the chances of that? Hell, he couldn't even be sure if she'd managed to make as foolproof a plan as she'd said. They'd both come here at the risk of this being a suicide mission, but where was the fun in something safe?!

They just had to hope that the 'distractions' were as far across the desert as she thought they were.

"Hello there~! Thank you. How was I?"

Zoro stared at the bowing man in the doorway, his jaw on the table in front of him. There was some freakishly tall man wearing make-up and a giant long pink coat with two swan's heads coming up out of his shoulders, bowing to Paula and asking how he was. The guy was even standing on his toes in a pair of pink ballerina shoes and wearing a weird blue outfit that ballooned at his hips, leaving his creepily long hairy legs completely exposed. This couldn't seriously be another number agent, right?!

"You look like an idiot." Paula deadpanned, making Zoro laugh silently to himself, the initial shock past.

"I'm not an idiot, Paula! Why, you ask? Because, I am a dancer! I shall have a takopa." The man sang, pulling strange 'dance' moves as he did.

"A 'takopa'?" Paula replied, clearly sounding confused.

"Stop joking around! A tako parfait! That should be common sense!" The man laughed, sending shivers down Zoro's spine as he watched from the corner, gladly going unnoticed. "Ah, boys. You can all go back now."

"Yes Sir!" came the call of men's voices from just outside the door.

"Don't you dare forget your dance practice!" The strange man called, making Zoro wince as he remembered Robin forcing him to learn, just so that they could pull off some stupid, fancy assassination mission that required going to some masquerade ball.

The assassination had been a success.

"Yes Sir!" came the voices again, followed by chanting.

"Ah! Fatty! Crone! You're already here?!" The man called towards Mr 4 and his partner, his partner lying across one of the tables as he pounded her back rhythmically – both he and Robin could give better massages than that giant oaf.

"You shut the hell up! It's going straight to my back, so stop with your shouting!" Miss Merry-Christmas snapped, practically growling at the strange man.

"Ah! That's right, that's right!" He burst out, suddenly turning to Paula as he ignored Miss Merry-Christmas. "It seems as though even the Mr 1 pair is coming this time, eh? I've never met them...So I'm, how should I say...I'm SO looking forward to it! Hahahaha!"

Zoro grimaced at the man's laughter and closed his eyes, determined to ignore the man and get back to sleep. Someone would eventually wake him up when eight got there and, if they didn't, well, Robin couldn't be angry with him – she had just left him there and it was these fools' graves if they pissed her off. Yup, one of them would have to wake him up or they'd have her to deal with since her hard work of getting everywhere on time had been ruined. Perfect.

Zoro sat bolt upright, his Wado Ichimonji already drawn as a crash resounded throughout the cafe.

He watched as the others prepared themselves for an attack, everyone holding tense as the dust began to shift, a now very noticeable hole in the cafe wall. What the hell had done that? He glanced at the clock, noticing the time was exactly eight o'clock, before letting his attention move back to the clearing dust. He watched as a twitching body laying in the once-doorway became visible. The man had been beaten up pretty bad and Zoro could see more unconscious bodies starting to emerge.

"Wh-Wh-What happened to you boys?!" The strange man stuttered – they must have been the men he'd been addressing earlier. "Why did you come flying through the wall?!"

"N-No...He..." The shaking man struggled from the floor, trying to point behind him through the hole.

"What? You know them?" Came a deep male voice through the dust. "They were moving suspiciously out in the desert." The voice continued, its tall muscular owner starting to become visible through the dust as the ballerina began to shake with rage. "What? It's not like they're going to die. You seem to be quite close. However, worthless relationships will only damn you."

The man stood in the hole in the wall, the archaic symbol for the number one tattooed onto his chest. So this was Mr 1. _This_ was the second biggest threat to their plan. This was the man they had to avoid, the man Robin had warned him about on their way to Alabasta. He certainly didn't look friendly with his shaved head and emotionless expression. Was their plan really even going to work? Hell, if one of them died, they were both going to die, right? If they don't make it past here, then this was as far as they were ever going to make it.

"Those are my men!" The ballerina snapped, charging towards Mr 1.

"Stop, Mr 2!" Yelled Miss Merry-Christmas as the ballerina, who was apparently Mr 2, leapt at Mr 1, aiming a kick to Mr 1's head.

Mr 1 easily dodged and threw a punch towards Mr 2, which was dodged by Mr 2 in a strange aerial spin. Mr 2 quickly leapt into the air and directed another kick towards Mr 1's head, easily being dodged again. The idiot's movements were too big for Mr 1 to not see coming; that was obvious. It wasn't surprising that Mr 1 was as highly ranked as he was, Zoro realised as he continued to watch the fight, Mr 2 throwing strange kicks and hand thrusts in the direction of Mr 1, Mr 1 throwing the occasional punch, not quite making its target.

Mr 2 finally landed a kick, sending Mr 1 flying through the wall as if the wall hadn't even been there. Had that been something to do with the force of the kick? Or the man that had gone through the wall? The wall had a perfect circle almost _cut_ out of it. That had to have been due to Mr 1's Devil Fruit ability, right? That had to be the ability that Robin had warned him about. He had been hoping he wouldn't have to see it considering how troublesome the man would be as an opponent, especially when they wanted to get away with as few people noticing as possible.

"What was that?! He passed right through the wall!" Miss Merry-Christmas screeched, stating the damn obvious. "No...Did he break the wall?!"

Zoro stood up and calmly followed Paula out through the hole in the wall, quickly followed by the others, all of which were more focused on Mr 1 than the sudden appearance of a green haired swordsman wearing a haramaki. Yes, apparently he was an everyday sight to these people. He wasn't even trying to blend into the background anymore and these idiots still hadn't noticed him. Brilliant assassins.

"Wait." Paula stated simply, standing in front of Mr 1 with her arms out. "I'm putting a stop to this, Mr 1."

"Stay out of this, Miss Doublefinger. I'm going to kill him." Mr 1 replied, standing firm.

"Really! Stop it! Let me go, Fatty!" Mr 2 cried out, beating his fists against the ground as Mr 4 pinned him. "Ah, will you quit it!?"

"Mr 2, will you calm yourself?" Paula, or rather, Miss Doublefinger, called out to him. "It's eight o'clock."

Zoro smirked as the three buffoons raised their heads in surprise – not a single one had even noticed.

"All the designated agents have gathered." She continued, aware that she had everyone's attention. "And an order was delivered to the Spider's Cafe." She explained, removing her disguise.

She still wore tight black trousers, but now she was clearly wearing something very different from her previous outfit. Her frizzy blue hair now completely unleashed, creating a giant blue afro. There was a black circle of leather encircling her bellybutton, four more strips of leather passing through the centre of which to break it up into eight segments. One wrapped around her thin waist, while the other three connected her trousers and the leather cups that covered her breasts. Two straps continued up from the top of the cups to a leather collar that sat tight around her neck. On top she wore a black leather long sleeved bolero jack with grey fur trim, along with a pair of black leather gloves. She was certainly an interesting sight to see.

"From here, we are to make our way to the City of Dreams, Rainbase. The man that we call 'Boss', who's face we have never seen..." she began, smirking at them, "...is waiting there."

* * *

 **I hadn't realised I'd brought it around so quickly to actually be bits that appear in canon...but obviously there are some things that will happen differently, if they even happen at all!**

* * *

 ** _R. N. Zuzu_** **, mwahahaha, Zoro still hasn't met them, but Robin has – just as she did in canon. She left Zoro for a few days to go to Whiskey Peak. Now they're in Alabasta and on their way to Rainbase ahead of the Strawhats, while the Strawhats are still looking for the Rebels ^_^ Well, Robin isn't with Zoro at this point. Poor Zoro...he's been abandoned again by his "Damn Woman", or "Temporary Partner", to travel with a bunch of people that he's only just met and doesn't like! XD**

 ** _Robin Roronoa_** **-swaaan~, I feel both of you treat me too kindly! ^_^ Hehehe, can you see a plan forming? ;P I know! All the Strawhats appreciate each others' skills! None of them actually have the same set! XD How you feeling about their relationship now? *strokes imaginary beard* XD**

 ** _megaME_** **-chwaaan~, hope you're enjoying the further growth (and little bits of memories) between them! XD Does it help if I tell you that the next chapter is called "Damn Girl"? 3;P Hehe, got any more ready?! 3;3 Hehehe (wanna go "I know something you don't know" 3;P I may do a little additional couple of shorts to go at the end of this, and maybe a sequel...Zoro and Robin are "Temporary Partners" in this cruel world after all ;P )**

 ** _Maria-Reynne_** **, well hello there! ^_^ Hehe, well they've been together some time now! XD It's been about as long as the Strawhats were separated! ^_^ I can promise you some more cute moments and some Strawhat pirates, that much I can manage! XD Hehe, well** ** _megaME_** **get's credit for the idea – I just get credit for the terrible writing! XD**

* * *

 **Right, well, hopefully you're sitting waiting to find out how Zoro and Robin's story is going to work its way in and how this is going to end, well tough! You'll have to wait until next Monday for another update and there are another five chapters! XD Hopefully see all of you next Monday!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Damn Girl

**AN: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece!**

 **This may seem a little rushed – I'm still in the middle of moving! Hope you enjoyed the extra updates last Sunday! If you're enjoying this and haven't checked out 'Assassination?' yet, just to say it is actually an accompanying chapter for this! It happens before the last section of Ch2 and is the mission Zoro refers to in Ch3 when he mentions 'masquerade ball' 3;P Ok, so hope you enjoy this and there won't be any updates at all next week – I'm away on holiday...** The leaving day is getting closer and closer...It's been moved three times and it's now this Friday *sigh* Sorry about this!

* * *

 **Chapter Four – Damn Girl**

Zoro sat quietly, ignoring the constant bickering of Mr 2 and Miss Merry-Christmas while Miss Doublefinger tried to persuade them to be quiet. He'd had to put up with their childishness all the way from the Spider's Cafe, trapped in Banchi's carriage with them. He seriously missed the quiet company of Miss All-Sunday at that very moment in time, just as he had all the damn way there. He'd never had such an unpleasant journey with Banchi and he'd had plenty. He'd been stuck next to Miss Doublefinger in the carriage, who'd strangely been the least of the multiple evils. Now he was stuck at the end of the table, across from Mr 4, with Miss Merry-Christmas next to him.

Oh how he wanted to shut the stupid woman up.

"Huhu, it seems everyone isn't getting along. Well, not that it really matters."

Robin.

Finally.

"Miss All-Sunday." Mr 1 greeted her as she stood on the giant white staircase.

He hid his surprise as he realised her usual purple cowboy hat been traded for a white one and her entire body was cloaked in a long white suede coat, decorated with gold thread designs and white fur trim. He hadn't realised she would be wearing something different and he couldn't decide if he preferred this outfit or not. It didn't exactly matter; her clothes wouldn't exactly affect their plan. In fact, the white coat, as warm as it must be, would likely be highly useful for reflecting the strong sunlight of this desert country, as well as the hat. That was probably her reason for changing.

"Thank you for coming all the way here." She began, continuing her descent. "I'm glad you could all make it. To the city where people dream of obtaining an instant fortune through gambling, The City of Dreams, Rainbase, and the largest casino in this city, Rain Dinners, I welcome you."

"Skip the formalities and get to the point, Miss All-Sunday." Mr 1 demanded, looking at her over his shoulder out of the corner of his eye as she reached the bottom step.

"As you wish, I will continue the briefing." She replied, walking along the back of the chairs towards Zoro's end of the table.

"Yeah, right! Start it already! Start it now! Continue now! Hoy, hoy, hoy, hoy, hoy!" Miss Merry-Christmas screeched from next to him as she banged repeatedly on the table.

Stupid woman, she'd never make Miss All-Sunday do anything like that.

"But before I do," Robin began, turning to look up the length of the table, ignoring the shrieking woman, "I must introduce you to the Boss of our organisation, whose face you have yet to see."

They all sat, their heads turned to face her, Zoro holding back his smirk as he hid the fact that he knew what was coming.

"Until now, I have acted as his representative and relayed his orders to you." She continued, staring straight down the middle of the table, past the three candles in the holder at the centre of the table. "But there is no longer a need for that. You understand, don't you?"

"In other words, the time has come..." began a male voice, the chair at the head of the table beginning to slowly turn to face them, "...for Operation Utopia."

Zoro faked surprise as the shock and horror appeared on his colleagues' faces.

"Crocodile..." He heard Mr 1 mutter out.

"The final objective of Baroque Works."

Why'd he get stuck with the boring lookout job? Had it been the damn woman's doing? Or was this because Crocodile didn't trust him? Hell, if Crocodile didn't trust him, did he still trust Robin? If that bastard lays one hand on her, he'll slice him to pieces, sandman or not! He and Robin were going to make it out of this damn wasted country whether Crocodile liked it or not! He was going to help her find her Poneglyphs and she was going to help him find Mihawk.

Well, all he had to do was watch out for anything going wrong and, so far, the Royal Guard had fallen right into Crocodile's trap; so what, exactly, was he supposed to be doing here? He wasn't even sure what the others had been given to do, but he was damn sure it was more interesting than his job. This was just unfair. Well, everything was going to plan, so maybe he should just head back to the hotel that Robin had booked him into? Yeah, he could nap there until it was his turn to play.

Burra burra bur-

"Damn Woman."

"Roronoa-san."

"Everything's going to his plan, so there's no need to check in."

"Hm, not everything. I have just removed Monkey D. Luffy from his sandpit and left him in the hands of an Alabastian warrior. He couldn't answer my question, but as long as he is saved, he should still prove a sufficient decoy – Crocodile will at least wonder how he is still alive."

"So, you're interest in him was misplaced."

"Hm, I think not. He may still do well, if so, you know the plan."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll wait at the hotel for your signal."

"Fufufufu, thank you, Roronoa-san."

"Don't die, Damn Woman."

Ca-chunk.

Well, things are finally moving. Will the idiot really be as useful as Robin thinks he will? She isn't usually wrong, but isn't he just a kid? _Well, he's from East Blue, like you._ Yeah, and what of it? So what if he himself had technically just been some random kid from East Blue when she'd picked him up? The idiot did have the initial 'D', the ever present annoying letter that no-one understands. Apparently even a fool-hardy kid with the initial wouldn't explain to her, or maybe he couldn't? Maybe it was something only the parent of the child understood and that the child learned? Well, they'd just have to move further up the generation ladder to find out, but that would have to wait.

It was time to nap until Robin called.

"Has the fighting started already?" Zoro grumbled, rubbing his ear at the sound of a woman screaming. "They shouldn't be in the city yet...? Did the idiots fail and the Princess actually got past?"

He lifted the Den Den Mushi from his stomach and sat up, looking towards the window. Well, it was definitely a lone woman screaming...Where had the pirates gone? He stood up, laying the Den Den Mushi on the bedside table, and approached the window warily. He carefully glanced past the edge of the curtain, peering down onto the street below. A woman? The city had been evacuated? There was a woman with short orange hair racing around on a...giant...duck? Orange haired...woman...Huh? The woman from the Strawhat crew...had orange hair, didn't she? Was this...?

"Help meee!" The woman yelled, apparently spotting him standing in the window – how the hell had she even seen him?!

"Mr 12, so this is where you've been hiding? Shall I leave this annoying girl to you?" Miss Doublefinger called up to him, the orange haired woman already out of sight.

"Sure." He grunted, silently deciding that seemingly cooperating might be the best course of action.

He leapt down out of the window and started trying to follow after the pirate, an eye on Miss Doublefinger as he ran. If she was suspicious, Mr 1 would soon follow and then they'd be in trouble. They were relying on a bunch of pirates to act as decoys, so how the hell had he ended up chasing one through the damn streets?!

"She's stopped chasing me?"

Zoro stopped dead, turning to look at the girl standing in the alleyway.

"Probably not for long – she sent me after you." He stated, shrugging his shoulders at her.

"Wh-What?!" The woman stammered, clearly realising now that she'd asked a Baroque Works member to help her.

"Mr 12, and you're Nami of the Strawhat Pirates. I ain't here to hurt you, just protecting myself really – can't have them figuring out what I'm really here to do." He smirked, watching as the girl relaxed.

"And what are you really here to do, Mr 12?"

 _Shit_.

"Mr 12! Help me, please! You can take these guys, right?!" Nami called from behind him.

"Shut the hell up and go hide!" He snapped back at her, quickly turning back to Mr 1 and Miss Doublefinger. "You guys better let me have some fun."

He clicked Wado out of its sheath as they began walking towards him, very clearly aware now that he was serious about opposing them. How had it turned out like this? That damn woman's curiosity was going to be the death of him. What was so important about these pirates? She hadn't even really explained to him, but then again, he still had no idea about her past. She was Nico Robin, eater of the Hana Hano no Mi fruit, and Miss All-Sunday of Baroque Works. She had had a difficult past that had forced her to grow up faster than she should have. Her goal, no her _dream_ , was to find and decipher the Poneglyphs to find one particular one. Even if she hadn't wanted him to learn about her, he'd already managed to work his way through her cold exterior.

 _This damn girl better be worth this, Robin._

He stood his ground as they continued to approach, step by step...until they walked right past him.

"What are you planning, huh?" He growled out over his shoulder, watching the two continue towards the girl.

"First rule of assassination: pick off the weakest target first." Mr 1 answered.

"Watch how pros operate." Miss Doublefinger stated, not looking back at him.

"M-Me?" Nami stammered, pointing to herself. "N-Now hold on a second. There's really no point in killing me. My face and style are second to none but...I'm no good at fighting."

"Then it's just like we said." Returned Miss Doublefinger. "Starting with people like that is the fastest way to finish things up."

"I see your point!" Grinned Nami, slapping herself on the back of the head, much to Zoro's amusement – what was the girl thinking? "Of course, of course you're right! I'd do the same thing!"

A scream erupted from the girl's chest as she suddenly turned and ran.

"I told you to shut up and hide." Zoro grumbled, watching her run, the two trained assassins following after her at a walk.

He ran along the street, trying to find the damn girl, determined she'd been going straight. He growled as he found himself in a dead-end, quickly backtracking to search side streets. Why did he have to do this? Why was he doing this? The girl meant nothing to him. But she did to Robin. Or at least, the crew did. Damn Woman. They were probably both going to die now because of her damn curiosity about some stupid kid's pirate crew.

"Heh, just like her though. We'll make it out of this." He sighed, shaking his head as he came to a stop at a crossroads, before, of course, he suddenly remembered what he was doing. "Jeez, that idiot! Where the hell did she go?! I _told_ her to just shut up and hide! She's such a pain in the ass! That stupid girl!"

 _A scream?!_

 _Over there!_

Zoro leapt between Nami and Mr 1, blocking Mr 1's attack from hitting the girl.

"Mr 12?" The girl uttered, surprise clear in her wide eyes.

Zoro turned to look up at the giant raised walkway as it broke apart into several vertical pieces, sliced through like butter.

"The pillar split apart vertically!" Nami exclaimed, staring in horror at the falling rubble.

"Split? No. I heard the sound of swords clashing." Zoro stated, turning to watch Mr 1 as he licked one of his fingers slowly.

"You're in my way." Mr 1 accused.

Zoro swung his katana towards Mr 1, testing his theory. Mr 1's forearm rose above his head, instantly forming a sharp metal blade, to block Zoro's swing. Robin hadn't been lying when she'd told him about Mr 1's interesting ability. Mr 1's arm had turned into some sort of steel blade. Hell, he certainly wasn't surprised that the damn woman hadn't wanted him to fight Mr 1 – it certainly wasn't going to be an easy battle, but Zoro always had enjoyed a challenge.

"You cut it, didn't you? With that arm." Zoro grunted, bringing his katana back. "That's one weird body you've got there."

"Very true. I've eaten the Supa Supa no Mi fruit and thus my body is that of a Blademan." Mr 1 explained, glaring down at him. "It really is you, isn't it?"

"A few years ago in East Blue, Baroque Works sent Mr 7 to deliver an invitation to a certain Pirate Hunter, but it seems he was killed." Miss Doublefinger began.

"That was you." Mr 1 grunted, continuing to glare at him.

"Heh, now that brings back memories. It was your fault for not accepting my terms. I remember what I said to your scout: "If you make me the boss, I'll join"." Zoro smirked, watching as Miss Doublefinger began to laugh.

"What a silly man." She giggled from behind her hand.

"Instead of accepting my conditions, he tried to kill me. So I did what I had to." Zoro explained, the smirk growing. "You wanna try making me really join now that you know the truth? Not that I'd even consider taking the seat knowing what a stupid boss you have."

Mr 1 lunged at Zoro, his arms already blades. Zoro quickly blocked the attack using two of his katanas.

"Trying to make a fool of me? Just a swordsman from some pathetic weak sea? A lower seat in the agency?" Mr 1 growled, his face inches from Zoro's.

"And what does that make you? My seat is just a cover, but doesn't that mean you're just a mindless puppet lured here by nothing but the name of this 'Ideal Nation'?" Zoro sneered back at him. "Or maybe it's because there's nothing inside of you..." He continued as the two broke apart, "a hollow tin soldier!"

"Miss Doublefinger." Mr 1 rumbled, glancing over his shoulder at his partner.

""I'm going to kill this guy", right? Go ahead. I'll see to the girl." Miss Doublefinger smirked, one hand on her hip while she began walking towards them.

"Oi! Nami!" Zoro shouted, snapping his head around to warn the girl. "She's gone..."

He turned back to face his opponent.

 _Robin, you better not die on me._

* * *

 **So, how was that? Next you'll get to read my attempt at writing Zoro and Mr 1's fight! It won't be exactly the same; his motives and memories will be different and there will be a couple of references to him being 'Miss All-Sunday's pet' ;P Zoro's fight with Mr 1 was a pretty important moment in One Piece, so I had to fit it in somehow. This is (obviously) where his cover is blown (yes, Zoro over the last couple of years has transferred his allegiance from Mr 0 to Miss All-Sunday. She was the one to approach him, she told him the truth about the organisation, and they've agreed to help each other achieve their dreams! This is just a summary of the last couple of chapters because things are about to get busy! ;P )**

* * *

 ** _Maria-Reynne,_** **haha, I am always my harshest critic! If you ever think a negative thing about something I've written, I've probably already thought it! XD Hehe, exactly! They've spent years now trying to seem like a believable couple and, as it turns out, they've even been scheming together! 3;P I did! I believe it was very much appreciated, but I think he may have needed it more for being trapped at the end of the table with Miss Merry-Christmas! I'm pretty sure he seriously appreciated Robin after all that time spent with the other members! XD Well, Mr 1 and Miss Doublefinger are now realising that they shouldn't have overlooked Zoro for his high number – he's already taken out an agent of higher number, but as far as they're concerned, he's going to be easy for them to take out :) Zoro still isn't having much luck though – he'd known Nami for all of five minutes and she managed to blow the cover he and Robin have spent years building! XD**

 ** _R. N. Zuzu_** **, heh, yeah, it was Robin and Zoro on their way to Alabasta from where they were and then Robin calling him to give him an update concerning their little plan (she'd have had to leave him somewhere while she went to see Crocodile. She couldn't have taken him with her because he wasn't supposed to know who Mr 0 was) ^_^ Oh, there will be! 3XD If you have a request for a mission for them, just throw it at me, but there will most definitely be more Zorobin moments to come! XD**

 ** _megaME-CHWAAAN~,_** **hello. XD I'm sorry, I'm tired...0:) Haha, just as well because the idea of 'pets' is about to be thrown around! Mr 0's pet blademan vs Miss All-Sundays pet swordsman! XD I can write more, but none of the agents really had much of a chance to interact? The Spider's Cafe was the most they interacted and both the carriage and the table scenes were really just Miss Merry-Christmas making noise...I'd imagine Zoro would spend most of his time trying to zone her voice out so that he could sleep to make the journey go faster? Hehe, I'm guessing you've more or less worked out the answer from this chapter! Just some minor points you (in theory) won't have picked up on yet! 3;P**

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 **So, hope you've enjoyed this! If you have any requests for more missions for their time as 'temporary partners', just throw them at me! I'll be back in two weeks! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5 - Mr 1

**AN: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!**

 **Hello! Hi! I'm back, again! ...my car is dying...but I still have an update for you! If you have any requests, please throw them at me to take my mind off my poor car...It doesn't look like it's going to be 'worth' fixing, so I need something to distract me :( But here's a distraction for you! Hope you enjoy it! XD**

* * *

 **Chapter Five – Mr 1**

Zoro lunged at his opponent, attacking at every potential opening, being blocked by a blade arm or leg every time. He ducked, narrowly avoiding a kick that would have sliced him in half. He leapt back in again for the attack, an axe kick coming down from above him as he did. He blocked it with one of his katanas while swiping at Mr 1 with the other. He slid back out of the way, sheathing his katanas as he stood up straight, realisation finally hitting him.

"I finally remember your ugly mug. I vaguely recall a bounty hunter well known in West Blue. Am I right?" Zoro inquired, watching Mr 1 carefully for any signs of an attack. "They called you a truly magnificent and notorious assassin, but you're just someone's dog. What are you fighting for," Zoro continued, a sneer creeping onto his lips, "little dog of Crocodile? Did you lick his hand so that you could get a good treat from him?"

"Bastard." Mr 1 muttered, staring back at him as they each stood their ground.

"You fight for money." Zoro began, removing his bandana from his arm, starting to tie it to his head. "Pride also has a bill." Zoro unsheathed Wado and placed the grip between his teeth. "Get ready to pay it."

He unsheathed his other two katanas, crossing his arms across his chest as he pointed the blades in the direction of Mr 1.

"Santoryuu! Ushi Bari!" He yelled, charging his opponent.

He completed his attack, landing on the opposite side of Mr 1 and sheathing his katanas, turning to look back at the Blademan.

"So your body is as hard as steel." He commented, his eyes narrowed as he studied Mr 1. "If I can't cut steel, then I can't cut you either."

"As you say. Striking and cutting attacks will not affect me." Mr 1 finished, finally turning to look at him.

"I see. That's a pain in the ass. And since I can't cut steel, I can't beat you." Zoro stated, standing with his arms folded across his chest.

"Then what will you do, Miss All-Sunday's Pet Swordsman?" Mr 1 asked, a mildly amused tone to his voice.

"Well! I'll pity you." He returned, throwing his heavy mantel to the ground.

"What?" Demanded Mr 1, narrowing his eyes at Zoro.

"A predicament like this is just what I've needed. I've been itching for a chance to get one step stronger, Crocodile's Dog." Zoro began, drawing two of his katanas. "When I beat you, I'll have become a man who can cut steel." He finished, crossing the blades in front of him.

"When you beat me? That ardent fervour of yours will be a point to contend with." Mr 1 continued, his arms folded across his chest. "But from the moment that I obtained these Supa Supa abilities, to this very day, none of these fools that call themselves swordsmen have been able to scratch me. As a swordsman, you cannot defeat me."

"Yeah, I see what you're saying." Zoro began, staring back at Mr 1 with a smirk. "But you should keep those pretty memories for your photo album. It doesn't matter how many swordsmen you've fought in the past, you've never met me before." He finished, holding a katana blade out at Mr 1.

"At least your tongue is sharp, Miss All-Sunday's pet." Mr 1 returned, suddenly charging towards Zoro.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Rover." Zoro grinned, a blood-thirsty glint in his eyes, his body quivering in anticipation at the prospect of the oncoming battle.

Zoro crossed two of his katanas in front of him just as Mr 1 attacked, blocking the blow from the blade-leg.

"How long will this last?" Mr 1 asked, both shaking from the pressure they were putting on their blades.

"Depends on you." Zoro returned, a smirk gracing his lips.

Mr 1 sliced his leg through the air, realising their lock, only to instantly come back at him with his fingers as blades, Zoro having to think fast to block the attack. The other hand came slicing through the air towards him, each finger moving on its own to create the blades of a mincer. Zoro blocked it with a second katana, being pushed back by the assassin. He sliced his katanas through the air as he stepped sideways, allowing the assassin to keep moving forward past him. He narrowly missed Mr 1's leg as he thrust it through the air towards Zoro's head.

Zoro flipped back onto his hands as he avoided the attack, quickly propelling himself back into the air, landing on his feet, only to have to leap again to avoid another attack from his opponent, this time leaping forward over the top of Mr 1, landing with his back to the assassin. Zoro spun around just in time to block another attack, being forced backwards through the alleyway as he blocked Mr 1's unrelenting assault.

Zoro threw a kick at Mr 1's stomach, the blow landing hard as it caught the assassin by surprise, before thrusting the point of Shusui into his opponent's face, forcing the Blademan back with force, still failing to cut him. Mr 1 stopped himself as Zoro placed Wado between his teeth, readying himself to finally go back on the offensive. He crossed his arms across his chest, a katana in each hand, one knee to the ground, ready to attack the very moment that the dust settled. He wasn't going to lose this. He had to win. He had to cut steel.

"Oni..." He began, leaping forward, "Giri!" He finished, landing behind his opponent, his arms out wide from executing his move.

He leapt into the air, readying another attack.

"Tora Gari!" He yelled, hurtling towards Mr 1 in a spinning motion, his katanas' blades making contact with the assassin.

Zoro landed on his feet a few meters away, removing Wado from between his teeth as he turned his head to look over his shoulder, sheathing all three katanas as he watched the dust clear. Sweat trickled down his face as he looked back in horror as Mr 1 calmly walked towards him through the settling dust. How the hell was he supposed to win against this monster? He'd just used two of his strongest attacks in quick succession and he hadn't even left a single scratch on the Blademan. He had to learn to cut steel or they'd die, but how?

"As I said." Mr 1 stated, stretching his arms out in demonstration.

"Not a single scratch. That's a bit of a shock." Zoro replied as he tried to regain his breath. "And this is the first time that anyone's ever gotten up after I've exerted myself so much."

"I supposed so." Mr 1 returned, coming to a stop a few meters away. "You've never met me before."

Zoro released a quiet laugh, finding amusement in hearing his own words repeated back to him. Well, looks like this fight is just getting started. It was certainly proving to be interesting, but they probably had a time limit – how long did they have before Crocodile found out he'd been betrayed? And how much longer would Nami be able to run from Miss Doublefinger? Well, hopefully the damn girl would be able to put up some kind of fight until he got to her, right? Huh, there it was again. He was trying to look out for one of her toys and now he was fighting for the sake of three of them. She'd better make all this worth it, if they ever made it out of this damn country alive.

Mr 1 launched himself at Zoro, Zoro only narrowly avoiding the assassin's kick. He gritted his teeth as he blocked another attack, silently trying to work out a way around the current problem. This guy clearly wasn't an ordinary swordsman considering there were blades throughout his entire body. There really wasn't any hidden factor to the assassin's swordsmanship, but how was that going to help him? Zoro only just avoided another slicing kick to the head, having to leap sideways out of the way, doing a forward roll across the ground as he landed.

"Sparkling Daisy!" Mr 1 called out as he ran at Zoro, Zoro barely managing to block the attack in time, the building behind him splitting into six large chunks as the attack sliced through it.

Zoro continued to struggle against him, an unusual strength coming from the Blademan as he pushed against Zoro's katanas.

"Fly away." Mr 1 uttered, suddenly pushing harder, sending Zoro flying backwards into the falling building, dust rising in a giant cloud into the air around them.

He trained himself more than most and been in predicaments on the brink on death before. He'd always risen to the occasion, no matter how dire the situation. Why was he losing now? Why couldn't he take that step forward? He'd taken on a man whose body was a hard as steel and now he was trapped between two giant pieces of building, the weight of the top one crushing his body into the bottom one. Where had he gone wrong?

 _When I beat you, I'll have become a man who can cut steel._

 _None of those who call themselves swordsmen have been able to scratch me._

What exactly was he missing?!

His mind began to drift, blood slowly draining from his body as the building pressed down on it.

 _"Sensei! Sensei!" He panted, stopping in front of Koshiro sitting on the floor inside the dojo. "I've heard there're guys in the world who can even cut steel! Is that true?!"_

 _"Yes, it's quite true." He replied calmly to Zoro, standing in front of his sensei as a young boy._

 _Koshiro collected a piece of paper and his katana before walking out into the garden, stopping next to Zoro._

 _"Are you ready?" He asked, holding the piece of paper out. "Watch the paper carefully." He instructed, throwing the piece of paper into the air._

 _Koshiro yelled out as he swung towards the piece of paper, hitting and knocking it to the side, still intact._

 _"Sensei, that was pathetic." Zoro waved dismissively._

 _"Listen closely, Zoro. In this world we live in, there are swordsmen that can cut nothing." He began as Zoro picked up the piece of paper. "However, those same swordsmen can also cut steel or anything else they wish, all with the same katana." He finished, walking back up the dojo steps._

 _The two sat calmly, side by side, on the porch in front of the dojo's entrance._

 _"The strongest blade is one which has the power to protect what you wish to protect and to cut what you wish to cut. A sword that harms everything that it touches is, to me, not a sword at all. Do you understand?" Koshiro inquired, an air of tranquillity around him._

 _Zoro sat silently for a few moments, waiting for his sensei to continue, but soon realising Koshiro had in fact finished._

 _"Sensei, I'll become a swordsman that can cut_ anything _!" Zoro proclaimed happily._

 _"Zoro...were you even listening to me?"_

Zoro stood up, his jaw clenched with the effort of lifting the section of building that had been slowly crushing him.

"I believe it's about time that you tried to cut me. Just taking my attacks won't put a scratch on my body, little pet." Mr 1 stated, completely emotionless.

"I'm sorry to say...you won't ever get to witness the magnificence of me cutting steel." Zoro struggled out, tensing his muscles to steady the weight he held in his hands, smirking as he raised his head. "Because the moment I cut steel will be the same moment you'll be lying at my feet."

"Indeed." Replied Mr 1.

Zoro bent his knees, holding the building in his hands steady, before quickly straightening them, launching the building at his opponent.

"A waste of time. I will cut everything here," Mr 1 began, taking a stance with his forearms crossed in front of his chest, "down to atoms!"

Zoro shifted his grip on Wado, staring at it as he contemplated what his sensei had told him, wondering what he had meant by a sword which cuts nothing. He placed Wado between his teeth, readying to attack. What did it mean to either cut nothing or cut steel? What was it that he didn't understand? He'd just have to push with all his force, for that was the essence of a mighty sword!

"ATOMIC SPARK!" Mr 1 yelled out from the other side of the falling building, slicing it into cubes of rubble.

"I won't stop 'til I cut you to pieces!" Zoro yelled back, charging through the falling rubble as he used it as cover, landing to start an unrelenting assault on the assassin.

He finally landed a blow, two simultaneous stabs with his katanas, sending the Blademan flying backwards. The assassin steadied himself, quickly blocking Zoro's next attack with an upwards kick of a knife edged leg. Zoro spun in the air, successfully slashing at Mr 1's face, failing to leave a single scratch as he sent his opponent flying backwards again, Mr 1 quickly springing off of one hand, righting himself as he continued to slide backwards.

Zoro was ready for him.

"Gazami Dori!" Zoro yelled, bringing the katanas that had pincered Mr 1's head passed each other, a move that would have decapitated any normal human.

He watched, trying to gather his breath, as Mr 1's body fell from the air, rolling as it hit the ground. Mr 1 remained crouched a few meters in front of him, glaring at him.

"You're beginning to piss me off." Zoro growled, his eyes not leaving the Blademan.

"The same to you." Mr 1 grunted, standing up. "One piece of advice. Don't think of me as a swordsman, for I have a multitude of weapons...capable of ripping your body apart." He continued, corkscrew blades appearing around his forearms, before they suddenly started accelerating. "SPIRAL HOLLOW!"

"If you're not a swordsman, are you an excavator?!" Zoro yelled, running at Mr 1.

"An assassin." The Blademan replied, glaring back at him as Zoro's katana clashed with the spinning blades, causing sparks to fly as the two men pushed against each other, making Zoro wonder just how fast the man's damn blades were moving.

Zoro stubbled back, fearing for his katanas as he felt them ready to snap.

"An excavator's work would be impossible for me. I bore through everything I touch." The Blademan glared, stepping towards Zoro with his arms out in front of him, the spinning blades boring into Zoro's chest as he failed to get out the way in time.

He was sent flying backwards, collapsing to one knee as he managed to stop himself. He looked up just in time to see Mr 1 coming at him again, but too late to move, the spinning blades reaching their target once more, sending Zoro's blood through the air, staining the ground as he was sent flying backwards once again.

"A moment's misjudgement will invite..." the assassin began, suddenly flicking his wrist upward, creating a blade from the tip of his thumb to the tip of his forefinger, "...death!"

* * *

 **So...that was intense...I forgot this fight lasted as long...but hope you're enjoying it! XD**

* * *

 ** _megaME-_** **chwaaan~! *cough* Hello! Yes! The question is will they meet again?! 3;P How'm I doing so far?! You better be prepared for some Zorobin next week! X'D Depending on how movable you are while reading next week's chapter, you may need your cry-corner! Oh Zoro...so close to death as we leave him at the end of this chapter...3;P**

 ** _Sturm and Drang,_** **why thank you! *o* Did you know those are the greatest two compliments you could ever give a fanfiction writer?! XD Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 ** _'Guest'_** **, THANK YOU! XD I don't know if you could call this chapter fun, but I'm really glad you enjoyed both the last one and the little assassination mission! XD**

 ** _Son of Whitebeard,_** **thank you very much! You might quite like the next chapter too then! ^_^**

 ** _Otaku-SIG,_** **hehe, did you get to read the last chapter? You've reviewed on Ch3 to say you were looking forward to the next chapter when Ch4 was already posted ^_^ Hope you're still enjoying this! ^_^**

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 **Hope you enjoyed this! XD So, next week you will get Ch6, called Reminiscence, and you better be ready for Zorobin! XD We're leaving Zoro on the brink of death and I'm being mean and making you wait a week! 3XD But hopefully the next chapter will be worth the wait! XD**


	6. Chapter 6 - Reminiscence

**AN: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!**

 **SO MANY APOLOGISES TO MAKE! First of all, thank you to** ** _kakawuh_** **and** ** _adoggz1221_** **for pointing out my mistake! I'm normally really good with that and I am completely furious with myself! So sorry everyone about that! It wasn't Shusui he used, it was Kitetsu; at least in this version! He would still have had to leave East Blue via Loguetown, so chances are (my thoughts anyway), he would have still went in to the shop there, but not to get new katanas. He would likely decide to take this 'last chance before the new world' to make sure he had what he needed to take care of Wado Ichimonji. Kitetsu maybe caught his eye or called to him as he was leaving, but Ippon-Matsu likely felt guilty, hence a repeat of the scene in the manga/anime. I feel that as a 'demon' working under a 'devil', he would likely come to use his 'cursed blade' most. The second apology. My internet got cut off and only got put back on again about half four on Wednesday evening...My life is a mass of bad luck. I'm posting a sequel (I might just put it as 'Ch2') to 'Ignorant or Perfect?' today to make up for it! Hope you enjoy this next chapter! We return to a dying Zoro!**

* * *

 **Chapter Six – Reminiscence**

"An excavator's work would be impossible for me. I bore through everything I touch." The Blademan glared, stepping towards Zoro with his arms out in front of him, the spinning blades boring into Zoro's chest as he failed to get out the way in time.

He was sent flying backwards, collapsing to one knee as he managed to stop himself. He looked up just in time to see Mr 1 coming at him again, but too late to move, the spinning blades reaching their target once more, sending Zoro's blood through the air, staining the ground as he was sent flying backwards once again.

"A moment's misjudgement will invite..." the assassin began, suddenly flicking his wrist upward, creating a blade from the tip of his thumb to the tip of his forefinger, "...death!"

Mr 1's hand sliced upwards through the air, disarming Zoro, all three of his kananas being launched up into the air as the assassin sliced through their master, releasing more of his increasingly precious blood as he was sent flying backward again. His back slammed into the tall pillar of one of the remaining raised walkways. He fell face first onto the ground below, barely conscious. He heard Mr 1's footsteps as the assassin approached, unable to move to defend himself as well as completely katana-less.

An image of Mihawk looking down on him flashed in front of his eyes, a painful reminder of his now seemingly unachievable goal.

"So you're still alive." Mr 1 began as Zoro struggled to move, using the remainder of his strength to try to get up, determined not show his opponent his back. "Why struggle with just your bare hands?"

Zoro managed to turn himself, panting, to lean his back against the stone pillar, Mr 1 standing over him.

"I couldn't explain it to a bastard like you who doesn't strive to be a swordsman. You wouldn't understand." Zoro gasped out, struggling to remain sitting.

"I didn't want to know anyway." Mr 1 grunted, looking down at him. "SUPA BREAKER!" He yelled, slashing his arms out in front of him, his bladed fingers slicing through everything before them, slicing through Zoro's chest and turning the stone of the tower behind Zoro into disks.

Zoro tried to hold in his cry of pain, barely maintain his consciousness, barely even aware of the man walking away from him. He heard the stone above him cracking. He heard it as it began to fall, a feeling of disbelief coming over him as he considered his bad luck – this had been the second stone structure to come falling down on him in one day. That was more than his fair share, right?

His mind began to drift, finding himself wondering if Robin alright at that very moment. Had Crocodile discovered that she planned to deceive him? If she escaped Crocodile, would she continue the plan without him? She hoped so badly that this country held her dream, but did it really? Would she go on if it didn't? Would she go on if he didn't make it? It certainly didn't seem hopeful at that moment, but if he died...wouldn't Mr 1 report him? Wouldn't Robin die too, all because he'd failed?

Robin.

 _"You are Pirate Hunter Zoro, are you not?" She smiled, a cold knowing glint in her icy blue eyes._

You better not die on me.

 _"Mr 0 has decided you are definitely proving to be a very valuable asset, as pre-"_

 _"Then let me fight Mihawk."_

 _"-as predicted. He has decided that he needs someone with a little more intelligence to keep an eye on you until we can find you a partner that is more...more 'compatible' with you." She replied, a mildly annoyed look in her chilly blue eyes that contradicted her smile. "He has asked me to watch you."_

What would I do...

 _"What do you wish to know, Mr 12? I am Miss All-Sunday of Baroque Works, and I have been your temporary partner for the last six months. I am solely here to direct you on your way to your missions since you are so adamant that you do not need a partner. I am the Vice President of the organisation, and the partner of Mr 0, but I find myself leading a directionless man around because he can't keep a partner alive." She explained, her voice completely neutral. "The only reason I was chosen to keep an eye on you was because I can keep myself alive."_

 _"We're finally getting somewhere." He smiled, dropping down onto the chair next to the window._

 _"Mr 12?"_

 _Zoro's smile grew even wider as the mild look of confusion past through her cool blue eyes._

 _"That's the most you've ever said to me at one time." He grinned up at her, watching as a small smile appeared on her lips, the most genuine smile he'd ever seen on her strangely beautiful face._

 _"And that made you happy, Mr 12?" She replied, taking a few steps past the end of the bed towards him._

 _"Very."_

...if you weren't here with me?

 _"I am protected by my association with Mr 0, but it would be better if as few people as possible knew who I am." She explained, Zoro feeling her weight shift on the bed._

 _"And who am I going to tell? Your name isn't going to mean anything to me, and I won't use it if you don't want me to." He returned, opening his eyes to find her shielded blue ones directly above his as she crouched on the bed above his head. "And I don't see how your ability is such a giveaway."_

 _"I have had it since I was a young child. I had been on the run from the Marines for a decade and a half when I met Mr 0." She smiled sadly, pain briefly flashing through her eyes._

 _"I guess that explains why you won't come into the Marine bases with me." He replied, reaching up to push a strand of her shoulder length black hair back behind her ear._

Who am I going to talk to?

 _"I plan to discover the True History, as you wish to become the World's Greatest Swordsman."_

 _"How do you go about discovering the True History?" He asked, cupping her cheek gently to make her look at him._

 _"By finding and translating the Poneglyphs, which are giant stone tablets covered in ancient writing, Roronoa-san." She smiled, a determined look in her tepid blue eyes. "That is why I must follow Mr 0 – he is in a desert country at this very moment, one called Alabasta. He is sure there is one there for me to translate."_

Had your dream been worth this?

 _"Then that's where we'll start." He smirked, enjoying the movement of emotions through her all-knowing blue eyes._

 _"Roronoa-san?"_

 _The look of surprise across her face was actually kind of cute._

 _"I don't know what I can do, but we're stuck with each other, right? So I'll help you find the Poneglyphs." He replied, watching her smile finally reach her eyes, warming those large pools of blue._

 _"And I shall help you find Dracule Mihawk." She returned, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to his forehead, causing his face to flush a brilliant crimson._

If I die now, who would you tease?

 _"Wh-What was that for, Damn Woman!?" He exclaimed, trying not to seem flustered as she began to laugh at him, her whole face lit with her smile as she hid it behind a delicate pale hand._

 _"You really are very cute when you are embarrassed, Roronoa-san." She giggled, moving back up the bed to let him sit up._

 _"I'm not cute." He growled, standing up from the bed to glare down at her, his face still burning._

Who would make you laugh?

 _"Goodnight, Roronoa-san." She giggled as she slipped under the covers, switching the light next to her off as she did so._

 _"Miss All-Sunday."_

 _"Nico Robin."_

Had your dream been worth us parting forever?

 _"Roronoa-san, you're very sweet to have worried about me, but I could not take you away on this mission. It was a very..._ personal _mission." She giggled, causing Zoro to huff as he dropped back down onto the side of the bed. "I did meet some very interesting young pirates though."_

 _"Well, did you get the bounty? Or was it the other kind of interesting?" He asked, curious as to who could have piqued the interest of Miss All-Sunday – she wasn't interested in just anyone:_ that _he'd definitely learned over the last two years._

 _"I did not get the bounty, but you may be about to get a promotion." She smiled, shifting closer to him. "But as to the pirates, I believe it will be a good idea to keep an eye on them – they may prove to continue to be very interesting indeed."_

 _"Robin, they'd have to be seriously interesting to get you watching them, so come on, who is it?" He smirked, falling back onto his back, her head now hanging above his from where she sat leaning on one elbow._

 _"Monkey D. Luffy of the Strawhat Pirates and his crew." She replied, a spark lighting her blue eyes as she smiled down on him. "They are on their way to Little Garden. I do feel we should get to Alabasta before them though, Roronoa-san."_

Had your toys been worth the pain you are about to go through alone?

 _"Monkey D. Luffy, bounty of 30,000,000 beri if I'm not mistaken. He really all that interesting?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow up at her._

 _"Well, he's from East Blue, like you." She teased, earning a pout from him. "And he just defeated Mr 5 and Miss Valentine, along with all our agents at Whiskey Peak, rescuing the Princess of Alabasta. There are four of them on the crew at the moment."_

 _"Seriously? Huh, I can see why you'd find them interesting." He replied absently as he tried to imagine how strong the members of the pirate crew must be considering the small size._

 _"I still believe you were stronger than the defeated members, but your need of a babysitter is testing on the Boss." She stated, a smirk appearing on her lips as he narrowed his eyes at her. "We should leave soon, Roronoa-san."_

 _"Whatever you say, Robin – just lead the way." He grinned, sitting up onto his elbows._

 _"Fufufu, I always do." She laughed, leaning in to kiss his cheek._

 _"Oi! Robin!"_

He wasn't just going to give her up.

He stood, calmly trying to regain his breath, in a round clearing free of rubble. Mr 1's voice whispered in his ear from a long way off, barely audible. He caught a few words, words that caused him to wonder how he was standing in the clearing. Words that had him wondering if he had dodged the falling rocks. He didn't even have to think as he realised he hadn't. He'd known. He'd known exactly where they wouldn't fall. He knew where his katana was. He knew it was under the rock next to him. He rolled the rock over, finding Wado Ichimonji exactly where he'd known it was.

He'd felt this way before. He'd experienced this before. He'd heard the world go deafeningly silent. He'd heard his heartbeat thundering in his ears. He realised that this state must truly be the brink of death. He'd felt the presence of the rocks as they'd fallen, as if they were living things...but not a presence...something more distinct...a breath. The breath of rocks...Trees have the breath of trees...and the soil has its own...Is that what it means?

 _"Listen closely. In this world we live in, there are swordsmen that can cut nothing."_

To cut nothing...is to know that breath? That is the power to cut steel.

"You wretch! What did you do?! Taking those attacks...Losing that much blood...You can't be alive!" Mr 1 snarled, staring at him as he turned his head to look at the Blademan.

He could hear it. The breath of his steel. A katana follows will. He swiped his katana out at the leaves of the tree next to him, the blade brushing past without even scratching them. He flicked his wrist, the same katana now slicing effortlessly through a piece of rubble, splitting it cleanly in half. He realised that all that was left was to see if he truly had the power to cut steel.

"I don't believe you can take my attacks just using only one katana." Mr 1 stated as Zoro pointed his katana at him.

"It doesn't matter." Zoro began calmly, staring back at Baroque Work's highest ranking assassin. "I won't take them anymore."

"So you've prepared yourself." The Blademan grunted out. "Very well!" He finished, leaping towards Zoro who was sheathing Wado Ichimonji.

"Ittouryuu Iai," Zoro began, spinning Wado slowly in an arc by its sheath, his left hand gripping the hilt as it completed the circle, "Shishi Sonson!"

"ATOMIC SPURT!"

Zoro remained crouched for a moment, his opponent now behind him. He slid Wado into its sheath, blood splattering out of the supposedly unscratchable assassin as he did so. Mr 1 slowly fell forward, his knees meeting the ground.

"I thank you." Zoro began, his voice serious and unwavering. "I can still become stronger."

Zoro fell forward onto his knees, his exhaustion and blood loss starting to catch back up to him.

"Next will you try to cut diamond?" Mr 1 asked, looking back over his shoulder at Zoro.

"That would be a waste." Zoro smirked.

He pulled off his bandana as he heard Mr 1's body finally collapse. He'd won. He'd finally learned to cut steel, allowing him to defeat Mr 1, the eater of the Supa Supa no Mi Devil Fruit. They still had another few moments. He'd proved himself to be stronger than the number one ranking agent and won, but he'd definitely went through more than they'd planned.

"Shit...Lost too much blood...I'm lucky these wounds aren't too deep." He mumbled, staring down at the soil beneath him, his hand still on Wado's hilt. "But...they still...hurt..." He gasped, falling forward, his head colliding with the hard ground.

How was Robin? He better not have just fought that bastard for nothing...that damn woman better be ok. Hell, that damn Nami girl better be ok. Where was she? Was she still running from Miss Doublefinger? Maybe she'd reunited with the rest of her crew...if they were still alive. How had they fared against the other agents? Robin would be pretty disappointed if any of her new toys had been killed, especially if she wasn't going to have him to play with anymore. What would she do if he didn't make it to the rendezvous point? Would she continue on without him? There was one thing he did know though after so long by her side. She needed someone. If he didn't make it, those damn pirates better.

He began to close his eyes.

* * *

 **Once again, I leave you with a dying Zoro! XD Hope you enjoyed that! Miss All-Sunday clearly placed her bets better than Mr 0 in their preferred 'underlings'; the bounty hunter beat the assassin! And I** ** _told_** **you it was a Zorobin-based chapter! XD Bit of a recap since it's his memories of her (just from this so there's no spoilers), but hopefully everyone noticed things "warming" between them! Not to mention how "fond" his dying thoughts of her are! XD Hopefully they'll survive through this and escape to continue their journey together! XD Then again, Zoro does seem to like dying! Does it make you feel better or worse that the next chapter is called "The Bomb"? 3;P**

* * *

 ** _Iloyd_** **, he's 17 and I've had him for 4 years, so I knew it was going to happen eventually, but thanks, that's really kind of you ^_^ Well, you might just enjoy the sequel/ch2 of 'Ignorant or Perfect?'! XD I made sure it worked nicely for your request! If you want another (maybe with a specific scenario), then I will happily write you one! XD**

 ** _Son of Whitebeard_** **, yes, he is- was doing well...until the final moment... XD I do love this fight! XD The two of them really go at it and it's so close! There is** ** _seconds_** **between them collapsing! XD**

 ** _megaME-chwaan~_** **, thank you! I am** ** _so_** **sorry I disappeared again ;-; He's drinking more driving 20 miles than a human drinks in two days...He took 5 attempts to start this morning so that my mum could get to work ;-; We might be pronouncing him sometime next week...;-; He's fighting, but he's losing...;-; (and you know I've already made a start on them! ...but I didn't copy and paste them into a word document this time like I normally do...Never break routine. I couldn't work on them for a week ;-; ) It really is an epic battle, isn't it?! XD I'm just hoping I'm doing it justice! XD How did you cope?! Was it crushing enough, his dying thoughts and realisations?! If he doesn't know how he feels after that (especially considering how confused, flustered and angry he'd gotten during the side chapter), then he is more than a fool! XD Hehe, even though this update is late, I hope it was worth it! (And you'll only have to wait until Tuesday for the next chapter! XD )**

 ** _R. N. Zuzu_** **, hehehe, well, you definitely just put a huge grin on my face! Thank you! XD I am so sorry this update was late! I hope it was worth the wait! And thanks, he's trying but he's not got long left :(**

 ** _Zorin is ZoroxRobin_** **, was it? *hopeful stare* (so sorry it's half a week late!)**

 ** _Robin Roronoa_** **, well, it was very likely that it was Robin who decided it would be worth it to try again to get Zoro since he'd defeated Mr 7, while Mr 0 probably didn't think it was worth wasting another agent on! XD Probably also why she ended up 'looking after him'. He was her responsibility; the only reason Crocodile would decide to let someone so...unpredictable to join XD If anything went wrong in relation to Zoro, she was the one who would have to deal with it. Likely also the real reason his number was so low; Zoro was as much a liability to him as good source of money! ^_^ So glad you liked it so much! XD ...*-*...OoO...:') ...really...? *-* I hope it was worth the wait, especially since there was an extra half week! :'( Thank you *Water 7 blush***

 ** _kakawuh_** **, thank you *bows* ...I still can't believe that...I am genuinely furious with myself! I know his katanas and when he got them, but to make a mistake as stupid as that? And then to not notice?! To me, that is completely unacceptable, so thank you so much for letting me know! I actually made myself read his entire profile as punishment (it is actually an enjoyable read, so it wasn't punishment enough, even with its length). I hope you're still enjoying this! ^_^**

 ** _adoggz1221,_** **I explained at the top for you, but I honestly can't believe I did that :/ If you're wondering what happened to the he had before Loguetown, he'd have ended up with five after gaining his two new ones, so I'm guessing he'd have traded them in? He wouldn't have lost them fighting Mihawk and he wouldn't have been in the fight with Arlong either. The funny thing is, that means we have a Zoro** ** _without_** **the massive scar down his chest or the ones above his ankles...unless, of course, he managed to gain them in some of his other fights; he'll have had plenty of those over the last couple of years! The wonderful** ** _megaME_** **came up with the idea, I just wrote it! If you have any requests yourself, just let me know ^_^**

 ** _Otaku-SIG_** **, hehe, it's always wonderful to know that my updates are met with such excitement! XD**

* * *

 **So, thank you for your patience! Sorry again! There was nothing I could do to prevent that unfortunately :( As I said, the next chapter will be "The Bomb". It will be posted on Tuesday (I have errands to run on Monday), hope to see you all then! ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Bomb

**AN: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece!**

 **Hey :) It'll be short notes today since I'm** ** _really_** **not feeling well :P Me and my mum are both down with a fairly nasty bug so we're both still in our beds, but I couldn't let you down by not updating. The update on my life is that my car died (actually died, never moving again died) on Friday night, so I had to grab a driver (my mum) to take me and my granny grocery shopping (my only current 'job', but it's actually pretty fun and something to look forward to) yesterday. Ok, so I'm gonna get this proofread and posted quick so I can go back to trying to sleep this off :P Please enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven – The Bomb**

"Mr 12! Mr 12! Please, wake up!"

 _Robin?_

"Mr 12! I need to get to the palace! Please!"

 _The Nami girl._

"And what's...that got...to do with me...?" He struggled out, trying to push himself up so that he could sit.

"We all need to meet our Captain at the Palace. I can't make it there on my own..." The girl practically begged, stirring his curiosity.

He started to study her, checking her wounds...there was nothing fatal, so why was she so adamant that she needed help? Why was she asking him? He was the enemy. He had helped her. He'd saved her from Mr 1, but where was Miss Doublefinger? He glanced past her, seeing no-one following her. Had the girl defeated Mr 1's partner? How had she come away almost unhar...

"Your foot."

"I sacrificed it for the sake of my Nakama...The pain that Vivi must have been going through...this must be nothing in comparison, but I need to make it to the palace. I need _you_ to take me to the palace!" She explained, reaching out and grabbing tightly onto his arm.

Nakama. He'd protected this girl and fought Mr 1 for the sake of Robin, his only 'Nakama'. He'd do anything to keep her safe and that was what the girl was trying to do. She was asking a man who was supposed to be an enemy to help her, for the sake of her Nakama. He'd help her. He'd help her even if she'd caused him nothing but trouble. As long as Crocodile didn't see him helping the pirates, Robin would be safe. He just had to hope that their mission was almost over – he was starting to run a little short of blood.

"Fine, I'll help, but I can only take you to the edge of the square outside it – if Crocodile sees me, then _my_ Nakama will die. If she dies because I helped you, don't expect me to be very forgiving." He threatened, starting to stand up. "Now, what exactly am I supposed to do to help you?"

"Carry me. I can't walk, so I need you to carry me!" She exclaimed, standing up with him.

"Seriously!? My injuries are obviously much worse than yours...and you expect _me_ to carry _you_?!" He half-yelled in disbelief.

"Oh shut up! You're a man, stop whining! I just need you to get me to the palace! I'll get off at the edge of the square so Crocodile doesn't see you!" She snapped back, sounding damn ungrateful considering what she was asking him for. "I can barely stand because of my foot! Not to mention my leg!...Oh, I think I'm going to faint..."

"Liar!" He growled, before sighing with resignation as he got up and collected his other two katanas, then turning towards her. "Just get on, Damn Witch."

"Thank you~!"

He watched her hobble into the square from behind one of the buildings, hoping the current sand storm gave him enough cover. A giant bird swooped down from the sky, a man on his back, before rising back out of the sand cloud, the Princess now with them. There. He'd made sure that the Witch had gotten to the square in time for her Captain's arrival. Perhaps now he could make his way to the rendezvous point and take a nap while he waited on the damn woman. Yeah, a nap sounded good.

Now, which way was it to the rendezvous point?

He wandered through the streets, searching for the designated meeting place. Was it even still standing? He couldn't find anything that looked remotely like the place that Robin had shown him, but it had to be somewhere, right? Even if it wasn't still standing, he should be about to find it. She should be arriving soon anyway. She'd wanted to be out of the city by four thirty and that was creeping closer at a horribly fast pace. If he didn't make it there in time, she'd think he was dead. He was half dead, but he wasn't about to die on her. He had to make it to the rendezvous point...in six minutes.

He was already late.

He turned a corner, almost running into Marines. What the hell were Marines doing here? There wasn't supposed to be any in this country, right? They certainly seemed to be surprised to see him, in fact, they were almost looking at him disbelievingly. Robin wouldn't have sent Marines to find him; she'd just have used her ability. What did these men want with him?

"Look, I don't have time for this." He sighed, getting annoyed with them getting in his way.

"Idiot, how did you get all the way out here?! What do you think you're doing?!" One of the Marines yelled back at him.

"That's what I should be asking you!" Zoro snapped back, remembering the current _Civil_ _War_ going on in the square in front of the palace.

"Turn back! Go back to the last corner and head north! That'll take you to the square – you're crew is there!" Shouted another one as he unknowingly cleared up the misunderstanding.

"Go back and take a right. This is the wrong way." Repeated another.

"Are you stupid or something?!" Yelled the first.

"Stupid?" He uttered, staring at them in disbelief.

The damn Marines had somehow managed to mistake _him_ for one of the Strawhat Pirates. He was supposed to be finding _Robin_ , not their damn crew! He'd just _come_ from the damn square. This really wasn't his day, was it? Well, Robin should have left the city without him by now, given the time, but something was telling him that she was still there somewhere. What was she waiting for? Was she really waiting on him? She was risking her life to stand around waiting on him? No. If she'd been waiting on him, she'd have used her ability to find him and direct him to her by now.

Something had gone wrong.

He silently cursed, fighting the urge to look for her as he followed the Marines' directions towards the Strawhats. He had nothing left to lose at this point, so what was the harm in helping them? If she was about to die, then they'd failed. If she died, he had no-one to move forward with. He'd be continuing on alone, without her, to find Mihawk. It just wasn't fair. How the hell was he having this much bad luck?! Hell, knowing how things had been going for him, it wouldn't be all that surprising if the life was slowly draining out of her as rocks fell down around her. She'd told him not to come looking for her if she didn't make it to the rendezvous point in time, but it was damn hard not to run to the edge of the city looking for her.

"Clock tower!" He grinned, seeing the tall building stretching out of the sandstorm – well, the Marines had been telling him to go north!

He raced to the entrance and started running up the stairs in search of the Strawhats. He didn't know what they wanted him to do, but by now he'd fought Mr 1 and carried the damn Witch to the square immediately after for them, so there couldn't be anything much worse that they could put him through. He'd just have to think of it as training. He was training to become stronger by running around risking his life for a bunch of kids playing pirate. If Robin wasn't dead when he finally found her, he'd kill her.

"OI! NAMI-SWAN~! VIVI-CHWAN~!"

He paused where he was, meters away from the top. What had that been? Had it been one of the crew? He decided they must be meeting at the top like he'd thought and continued upwards, ignoring the weird yelling coming from below him. He reached the roof and stopped, realising there were people yelling back to the weird guy that had clearly been following him up moments before. What were they yelling about? He leant out over the edge of the building.

"Yo! I've been looking for you guys!" He yelled down, seeing Nami and her friends standing at the bottom and a blonde man hanging out the window two floors below him.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Yelled the blonde man back up at him.

"What are you guys doing all the way over there?" He called back down, ignoring the blonde, wondering why they'd stopped if they were supposed to be meeting at the top.

"OI! ANSWER ME!" The blonde yelled, clearly annoyed at being ignored. "AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY US BEING ALL THE WAY OVER HERE?!"

"I dunno! The Marines kept saying "Go north! Go north!", so I went up this building!" He called back down to the blonde, still wondering why the hell he'd had to come here in the first place.

"'NORTH' AND 'UP' ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!" The blonde yelled, irritating Zoro – did the idiot want his help or not?!

"Anyway! Good for both of you! Just keep climbing and beat up whoever's going to fire the cannon!" Ordered the long nosed man from the ground, trying to end their argument.

Zoro leaned further over the edge as the conversation became too quiet to hear. What had the guy meant by 'keep climbing'? There was literally nowhere left for him to go. He looked around the rooftop, wondering what the idiot could be talking about. There was just the actual clock tower left and no way to get into it. He paused and reran the long nosed idiot's words through his head...He'd yelled something about a cannon being fired? Why was there a cannon being fired and why was he supposed to stop it? Just what, exactly, was going on? Was this something to do with the fact that Robin had wanted out the city by half four? What exactly was this cannon firing?

Zoro continued to study the tower, searching for a way up. Maybe he could cut it? Well, he could definitely cut it, but would that just make the situation worse? What was the situation? Movement caught his eye and he looked up, horror spreading over him as he watched the clock face slowly swing open, revealing a giant cannon. So that was the cannon. And the two people on the edge were probably the people he was supposed to stop...those people being damn Mr 7 and Miss Father's-Day...the damn sharpshooters. Oh, this day just couldn't get any worse.

He looked back over the edge, spotting Nami now standing alone. Where had the other three gone? He leant over further and seen the three of them stacked, one on top of the other. What the hell was the Witch planning? He watched as she crossed a small metal pole with one twice the size in front of her. He could hear that she was calling something, but what? How the hell was she planning to stop Mr 7 and his partner by stacking her friends and waving blue poles around?

He watched as she swiped her arm downwards, releasing the smaller pole, sending it spinning towards the stack of people. His eyes shot wide as the stack suddenly got launched upwards, just as the spinning pole must have made contact. He watched as the reindeer pushed itself off the back of the long nosed man, just as the blonde leapt out of the window. The blonde kicked the reindeer upwards, sending himself hurtling towards the ground.

So that was the plan.

He was supposed to launch the reindeer and the princess.

He could do that.

"ALRIGHT, HERE THEY COME!" The blonde yelled up to him as he fell, Zoro watching the princess and the reindeer flying up to meet him.

All he had to do was get them to the top. He gripped the hilt of Wado and looked up at the clock tower, trying to decide how much power he needed. He turned back to the flying pair. He stepped onto the edge and crouched, readying himself as he drew two of his katanas. They reached level with him.

"Right, leave it to me!" He called out, holding his katanas outwards.

He rolled himself off the edge from his crouched position, turning to face upwards as the reindeer slowly began to fall again.

"KATANAS!" The reindeer yelled.

"Idiot, don't be scared! I'm using the back of the blades!" He lectured, crossing them above him for the reindeer to push off of. "Now get a good footing! Be careful – those two up there are real weirdoes!"

"Yeah, I know them!" Replied the princess. "No..." she gasped as they were spotted.

"Hold on! We're in mid-air! If they shoot at us...!" He exclaimed, trying not to panic as the sharpshooters aimed at them.

"We have to do something! They're a sniper pair!" The princess called out, clearly no idea who Zoro was.

"Reindeer! I'm going to launch you up there! Do what you can after that!" He yelled out, determined they weren't going to fail.

"Me?!" The reindeer exclaimed, looking down at him in horror.

"Ready!? Let's do this!" He yelled, hearing their simultaneous agreement.

He heard the gun shots as he launched them, forcing himself downwards at an accelerated rate. Had he done enough? Were they about to be- He cried out as the two strange bullets collided just above his shoulder. They exploded, hitting him directly as he hurtled towards the ground. Was this it? He'd been put through a day of hell, a day of almost dying several times, just to be shot after leaping off a building? His life had lead to this point? The damn woman dying somewhere alone and him falling through the air towards the ground, sliced up and shot? Had he done her proud, helping her toys? Well, maybe he'd survive this, right? He'd survive this and go after Mihawk...just as he had been...only this time, he'd be alone again.

He coughed out as he hit the ground, winded by the impact.

"What? You're still alive?" The blonde asked, a hint of what sounded like disappointment in his voice.

"T-The explosion...?" He began, grinning up at the idiot. "...I've been through worse."

He sat up, wincing, to look up at the clock tower as he waited to find out if the princess had stopped Mr 7 and Miss Father's-Day. He glanced at the others, smiling to himself, as he thought about what they must have all gone through for the girl, what they'd all just done. He still wasn't sure what was going on, but it was impressive the lengths these idiots were willing to go to.

"What happened?" The reindeer asked, suddenly small, as he reached them. You never did know what a Zoan type was going to be able to do.

"Something funny's going on up there." He replied, accepting that the princess should have reappeared by now.

"Vivi...hasn't come out..." Nami muttered, her eyes focused solely on the hole in the side of clock tower.

"HELP! EVERYONE!" The princess suddenly screamed, leaning over the edge to shout down to them.

"Vivi!?" Nami exclaimed, everyone around her wondering what had happened, why the princess was so terrified.

"The bomb has a timer!" Vivi yelled down. _Bomb?_ This was all about a _damn bomb!_ "IT'S STILL GOING TO EXPLODE!"

SHIT! What the hell were they going to do?! If that thing exploded, it would kill them all! What size of area was the damn thing going to effect?! That must have been why Robin had wanted out the city by half four! Shit! Why hadn't she told him?! If she'd told him, he could have dealt with this the second he'd realised the plan had failed! Now they were both going to die, even thought he'd survived everything else! Wait...the timer...shit...he couldn't have stopped this anyway...they would have all died...even if she had told him...Maybe she hadn't even known...? Maybe Crocodile had said something else to her...? Well it didn't matter now.

They were both about to be wiped out along with the Strawhats. And the Marines, Royal Guard and the Rebel Army for that matter.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed that! ^_^ I feel like I constantly leave you with a dying Zoro...? Ah, well, next chapter is the last one and I'll post a side chapter with it! ^_^ There's a break in the middle of the next chapter and said break shall be covered by a side chapter! ;P Next one is called 'Just Ordinary Partners' (and don't take that as a disappointing-sounding ending, please! It'll make sense when you read it! XD )**

* * *

 ** _Zorin is ZoroxRobin_** **, thanks! ^_^ You're welcome, but hopefully this one wasn't too disappointing! Kinda feels like not a lot happens in this one. When I was rewatching, I noticed how key he was in this scene, so I had to keep him in the city a little longer :P We couldn't have him just standing outside a building waiting on Robin while he was about to be blown up without any warning! ;P**

 ** _megaME_** **-chwan, I AM SO SORRY! ;-; You hid in your cry corner while I was away?! SORRY! ;-; It makes me really happy to hear that his thoughts got to you *grins*, I'm not sorry at all! *pats you on the back guiltily* I'm sure you know what's going to happen next chapter, but I think you'll prefer the side chapter 3;P (Hopefully) the next chapter ends humorously ;P**

 ** _R. N. Zuzu_** **, thank you! XD And here's some more dying Zoro for you! He's thrown himself of a building and been shot! Now a bomb is about to blow him up! XD If you ever wonder how many near-death experiences you can have in one day, you really should ask Zoro! XD Well the wait is over! At least for this chapter 3;P Next Monday you'll get to find out how this finishes ;P**

* * *

 **And so, I shall now go back to trying to sleep this off...then get back to writing requests when I wake up...I'm honestly scared to eat ;-; There** ** _might_** **be a random update this week, but please don't hold your breath! Also, for those of you waiting patiently on an update of a certain story, I'm planning on updating it at midnight tonight...** (6pm (Mexico City), 8pm (Sau Paulo), 12am (Lagos), 8am (Tokyo), and 9am (Sydney) – yes, I googled to find out which were the largest cities of each continent. Yes, I got annoyed when Google kept telling me I meant 'Australia' and I don't even live there...Does this annoy anyone who does? (I am not trying to start an argument, I'm just really nosy and I knew what I meant from doing Geography :/ )) **Have a good week! ^_^**


	8. Chapter 8 - Just Ordinary Partners

**AN: One Piece still belongs to Eiichiro Oda! And yes, I type this out every week, sometimes multiple times like today, and no, I don't have some fancy shortcut to do it for me.**

 **I'm rambling. Morning, hello! Posting early today! I'm doing a couple of hours working for my mum today, so I won't be in later and then I'm going to be making the dinner! Homemade lactose-free pizza tonight! ;P Now then, as always with the final chapter, review responses!**

* * *

 ** _Zorin is ZoroxRobin_** **, thank you! I promise he isn't dying at the end of this one! He'll either be dead or alive! 3XD Although, no promises for the end of the additional chapter! 3;P Really?! *-* Thank you! Hope you enjoy this! XD**

 ** _R. N. Zuzu_** **, hehe, I burst into laughter when I read your review! Yes, it is a very nice day to kill a Zoro! XD If he hadn't helped them, he could have run to Robin's side to be blown up with her...but that would rely on him finding her. So, instead, he's about to die with everyone else. And** ** _we_** **know that Robin is lying, dying, in a pool of her own blood right now while Luffy fights Crocodile. If only he'd known. *sigh* Why thank you! XD Hope you enjoy the chapter as much as you like the title! XD**

 ** _megaME_** **, well, Oda always manages to make dying Zoro a complete badass! XD How many times has he lived through a near-death experience?! XD Well, so far she's blown his cover, almost gotten him killed by the best assassin Baroque Works had, then made him carry her to the square, had him throw himself off of a very tall building, and now he's about to be blown up because he'd ran back to help them. I very much doubt she's his favourite person in the world! XD Ok, so, you** ** _may_** **wanna read the additional chapter...It didn't fit into this nicely, but it takes place about halfway through this...? You can read it after this and, hopefully, it'll just seem like you've been let in on a very 'personal' moment that no-one would have gotten to see, rather than back tracking ;P**

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 **Right, onto the final chapter! Hope you've enjoyed this! The additional side chapter for today is called 'Still Mr 12 and Miss All-Sunday'!**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight – Just Ordinary Partners**

"Shit! This can't be happening!" The blonde cursed next to him. "Even though we stopped the firing, the bomb..."

"...has a timer!" Finished the reindeer.

"The blast's going to be five kilometres wide...!" Cried out the man with the long nose.

"Five?! The square and the city are going to be completely destroyed!" Zoro gasped in horror, his eyes wide as he stared up at the clock tower.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" The long nosed man yelled in despair. "You mean stopping the Square Bombing was impossible from the very beginning!?"

A movement caught their eye.

"Was that...?" The blonde began, all of them still watching where something had swooped into the room at the very top of the clock tower.

"The bird guy." Zoro replied, recognising him from the moment at the edge of the square, knowing that he must be the Alabastian warrior that Robin had left the Strawhat Captain with.

They waited silently, unsure of what was going on. The seconds seemed to slow down as they watched. The Birdman emerged from the opening, a giant heavy-looking metal sphere in his talons. The bomb. What the hell was he planning to...He was flying straight up...He was going to try to get the bomb far enough into the sky so that no-one else was killed...He was sacrificing himself...to protect all of them!

They watched on in horror as light exploded through the sky.

The shockwave of the bomb cleared the dust cloud in an instant and shattered the glass of every window. It caused the tops of buildings to crumble, sending stone debris flying. It launched men up into the air.

But it didn't stop the battle.

Desperate, crazed screams could be heard behind them as the fighting started up again. The square erupted into activity again, swords and spears clashing as the two sides fought on. They'd been driven mad. There was no stopping the fighting now. He and the Strawhats could hear the Princess' desperate screams coming from the top of the clock tower as she begged them to stop the fighting.

They all knew her voice would no longer reach the warring people of her country.

"You idiot..." Nami muttered, tears threatening to fall, before turning to the rest of them, lashing out at the man with the long nose. "You three! What the hell are you standing around for!? Punch them, kick them! Anything! Whatever you have to do to stop the rebellion! Hurry up and GO!" She yelled, shoving him and the blonde towards the battlefield, before grasping hold of the bandaged body of the long nosed man. "Save as many lives as possible!" She cried out to the sound of the Princess' despairing screams, finding herself crying against the long nosed man's chest.

Zoro began fighting against the struggling sides, alongside the Strawhats, trying to stop the rebellion. After all this, why were these damn people still fighting?! Even if they'd become desperate and crazed, to the point where reason could no longer reach them, why were they so hard to stop? What had pushed them this far? He felt the ground shake under him as he continued to fight. A movement caught his eye, something flying upwards into the sky. He heard the blonde call out, stopping the small group of them as they watched the body fall towards the square. Suddenly the Strawhats called out Crocodile's name in surprise.

What the hell had knocked him into the air like that?

Had the damn woman been right all along?

"Not sure how he got blasted all the way up there..." began the blonde as they continued to watch.

"HOW ELSE?!" The long nosed man yelled out, cheesy grins erupting across every crew member's face. "I never had a doubt in my mind...But now..."

"HE WON!" Cheered the whole pirate crew in celebration as Zoro watched them, a smirk across his own lips in amusement.

The square began to fall silent as the first few drops of rain began to fall, the sky covered over in black clouds.

"PLEASE DON'T FIGHT ANYMORE!" The princess' words cut through the now clearing dust, finally reaching the people, the gathered crowd turning to look at her.

Zoro turned his back on the crowd as they stared up at their princess. It was time for him to take his leave. He slipped out between the gawking people, going completely unnoticed. This wasn't his place to be. He stepped out of the square and into the shadows as Crocodile's body finally landed, sending a wave of surprise through the crowd. He heard voices echoing through the square as he disappeared along the deserted street.

There was somewhere else he needed to be.

* * *

"So we finally got away from the island?"

"Yeah, looks like it." Zoro smirked, following the tall elegant woman out from below deck.

"Well done." She complemented, glancing up at the moping pirates.

Calls of horror fell out of the crew's lips as their eyes fell upon Miss All-Sunday and him.

"Why are YOU here?!" Nami exclaimed, staring down wide-eyed at the two of them.

Zoro sighed as the pirate crew formed a semicircle around them, each taking a defensive stance. They'd never learn would they? She always got her way – they were definitely fools to think they could challenge her, especially when it was _them_. The two of them had been an unstoppable duo for a while now and no pathetic pirate crew was going to take them down by pointing metal poles and slingshots at them. If need be, he could easily point some nice pointy _blades_ at them in return, but the damn woman had her own methods.

"Who is she?" Chimed the strange Tanuki-looking reindeer thing that, if he remembered correctly, was called 'Chopper'.

"It doesn't matter who she is! She's a beautiful lady!" Called the shitty blonde spiral-browed freak.

If he thought that he was getting anywhere near the damn woman, he had another thing coming.

"Don't point those dangerous things at me." She warned, knocking the crew's weapons out of their grasp with her Devil Fruit ability. "I told you that before, didn't I?"

"How long have you two been on this ship?" Nami demanded, glaring at her.

"The entire time." Robin smiled, picking up the chair and table that had been lying on the main deck of the ship. "These clothes are yours, aren't they? I'm borrowing them."

"What do you think you're doing, Baroque Works?!" Nami screeched, a tone that both he and the damn woman had a habit of completely ignoring.

"Monkey D. Luffy. You aren't forgetting what you did to me, are you?" Robin began, turning to the Captain.

"LUFFY! What the hell did you do to this beautiful lady?!" Spiral-Brow started yelling, forcing Zoro to restrain himself from slicing the man apart, as the damn woman walked across the deck to find a good place to sit.

"Oi, you! Don't lie! I didn't do anything!" Argued the Captain from the blonde's grip, watching as the damn woman made herself comfortable.

"Yes you did. You put me through some very excruciating treatment. Take responsibility." Robin replied, closing her eyes as she sat back in the chair.

Zoro made his way over to the mast, positioning himself between the damn woman and the yelling blonde freak. Why did she have to decide that this was the best way for them to move forward? Couldn't they have just found Banchi and continued to move forward, just the two of them in their usual companionable silence? He had no idea how long he was going to be able to take this. Even if he did owe the Captain a damn debt. Damn Woman.

"I don't know what you're talking about! What do you want me to do?" Exclaimed the Captain – always a bad question to ask the damn woman, unless you already knew the answer.

"Allow us to join your Nakama." She smiled, leaning forward in her chair.

The sound of the crew's rejection was thrown back at her, bar the damn pervert who was practically begging her to come into his arm. Was he invisible?! What the hell was the idiot thinking acting like that while he was clearly standing next to her? What made the damn pervert think he could get past him to the damn woman? And why the hell did he even consider the idea that the damn woman would want a pervert like him to hold her in his arms?! If they were going to turn their backs on this crew, the shitty spiral-brow was going to be the first one to have a katana in him.

"Back in the tomb, you forced me to live when I wanted to die. That is your crime. I have no place to go and no place to return to. Alabasta was my last lead on my goal and it was a dead end. So, are you going to let me stay on your ship?" The damn woman smiled, leaning forward onto her hand.

"I get it. Guess that's that. Okay." The Captain replied.

Zoro smirked as the crew started launching their protests. Looks like they'd be staying, at least for a little while.

"Don't worry! She's not a bad person!" The Captain grinned back at his crew.

"And that means I'm staying too." Zoro stated, pulling himself back off of the mast to stand at his full height. "You may owe her a debt, but I owe you a debt – I told the damn woman to stay alive and she tried to bail on me." Zoro continued sternly, before a grin appeared across his lips. "Thanks."

Zoro settled down next to the mast, leaning against it for support as 'Usoppe' started interrogating the damn woman. He wasn't going to leave her side yet, not with the damn pervert on the loose. He watched her using her ability to play with the childish Captain, 'Luffy', and the little reindeer Doctor, 'Chopper', Usoppe apparently oblivious as he continued his questions. She was being blunt. He wasn't surprised, she always had been, at least since he'd met her a few years back. She'd always moved between sly and blunt, depending on the situation, and this wasn't exactly a time to be trying to trick this crew, not if they were going to hang around.

Zoro tensed as a bang was heard from the upper deck, silencing the laughter of the Captain and the Doctor.

"Pathetic. Look how easily you let her walk all over you. She was the Vice President of an enormous criminal organisation until this very day." Nami began, her voice filled with disgust, Zoro gripped Wado's hilt, ready for an attack. "Give me one good reason why we should let her and Mr 12 join us? You may have fooled these idiots, but it won't work on me! If either of you ever try anything, I'm kicking you out."

Ungrateful Witch! He'd saved her pathetic ass several times now and she was threatening Robin and him? Either one of them could take her down! How dare she threaten them!? He'd endangered his and Robin's lives to save the damn witch, and here she was, threatening to kick them out if they tried anything? Who the hell did she think she was?! She was just one of the damn toys that the damn woman had taken an interest in! She had some nerve challenging them after struggling against Miss Doublefinger!

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind." Robin replied calmly, her smile in place. "By the way, I brought along some of Crocodile's jewels."

What was the damn woman thinking!? What if they needed those!?

"OOH! I love you, Onee-sama~!" Nami cried, stars in her eyes.

That was too easy.

Well, here he comes. The shitty pervert, or _Cook_ apparently. 'Sanji', the spiral-browed, shitty Ero-Cook! What the hell did he think he was doing, sliding down the banister to her side, an annoying air of finesse around him. If that bastard thought he could just swan in and woo Robin, he had another thing coming! He was definitely going to be the first of these damn pirates he'd kill! He'd ended up with a damn bounty helping these damn morons! Who'd ever heard of a Bounty Hunter with a damn bounty?! How were he and Robin supposed to make money now?! And this bastard was going to take away Robin, as well as his damn freedom!? Like hell!

"Ah, love! Floating love! I am but driftwood, laying my ebony-burned body down upon the flow." The Ero-Cook called softly as if reading damn poetry, stepping onto a chair and letting it fall to leave him still standing, trying to show off for Robin. "Driftwood, struck by your beauty called thunder: I am sent straight along the flow."

Well he could just continue down that damn flow away from Robin.

"Here is your snack." The damn Ero-Cook finished, laying a desert in front of the damn woman with a bow.

"Oh, thank you." Robin smiled back, making Zoro grit his teeth in frustration.

"Should I call you Robin-chwan? Or Robin-swan?" The Ero-Cook continued as Zoro got up and started to walk up to the upper deck – if he stayed down there any longer, he really was going to slice the damn pervert to pieces.

He heard Robin's chair move as he reached the top of the steps. He sighed and leant back against the railing, waiting for her to approach him. Zoro pretended to ignore her as she ascended the stairs towards him, her teasing smile on her lips. Oh he was in for it. What had she expected? She wanted him to try to be nice to these idiots, but she was intent on making things harder by letting that moron drool all over her – how was he supposed to react? Of course he'd had to get out of there. It had just been the two of them for so long and, now, here they were, trapped on a ship with a whole bunch of guys and an annoying, ungrateful witch.

"This is a nice ship." She began, walking past him without even looking at him, her gaze focused straight ahead at their course before finally turning to look at him. "Do you think it will always be as lively as this?"

"It seems like it." He grunted back to her, watching her carefully.

"Wonderful." She smiled brightly, her genuine smile lighting up all of her beautiful features, making him struggle to remain neutral, trying not to blush.

Zoro began to pout, wondering what exactly she was planning to do now that she'd made the Strawhat Pirates accept them onto the crew. He was going to have to share her from now on while pretending they were still just ordinary partners. Zoro had no idea how joining these idiots was even going to help them find the Rio Poneglyph or Mihawk. She always had a plan though, but perhaps this time, the plan was just to keep moving? They had no leads, but at least they were on the Grandline. As long as they stayed together, they would remain unstoppable, no matter how hard the journey became. Well, that certainly did sound like some sort of plan.

As long as she wasn't just planning to abandon him with them, he was fine with whatever she decided.

 ** _Yonde kurete arigatō, min'na!_**


End file.
